Remembering Saruwatari
by Codename.Zega-Ulqui-chan
Summary: One girl, One boy, one legendary Band of mercenaries...One monkey! Join Masato Saruwatari as she and her companion Saruwatari the monkey travel with the band of seven to ward off an army, forming into a even more perilous journey. Are you ready for it?
1. Remembering Saruwatari 1

-Remembering Saruwatari-

Chapter 1: Masato

The path was well set off from everything else in the village. From that pathway lay a small, underlying trench which fresh water flowed through. If you followed that fresh water, you would find a small patch of flowers in the middle supported by two metal beams parallel to each other. These beams floated on the water. From the beams, just walk a few miles forward, and you would reach the house of the Saruwatari.

I'll tell you the story of my people. The Saruwatari are gentle, and like to live in secrecy. Our name means "monkey under a crossing bridge", and I would have to say, we live true to our name. We don't live under a crossing bridge; of course not. We live in well hidden places. For example, if you followed the fresh water trench, you would find that it ends at a wall. An untrained person would simply walk away from the strange sight of water running into a wall. A trained eye could see that the water flowed under the wall, and that the wall had a small fold where the water was. If you lifted the "wall" from where the fold was, you would find my house.

My family lives in an old dojo that my uncle once used for training. All of the Saruwatari have shaggy brown hair and dark black eyes, expect for me. I have curly brown hair and silver eyes, sort of like my monkey—go figure—Saruwatari. I'm the youngest in my family under one brother and one sister, both 17. My mother is bedridden and my father is preparing to go out to war with the emperor. My brother is going to war with father and my sister is busy taking care of mother. I had heard through the grapevine that father had implemented some help from a band of legendary mercenaries. So far, I hadn't met them.

Until that day…

It was a normal day for me: taking care of Saruwatari, helping my sister with mother, helping my brother gather his armor and train. Father had a meeting with the emperor to plan their first line of attack of the rival village. Mother was feeling better this day, since it was pleasant outside and not too hot or too cold. Sister had an easy time of it today as a result, and I felt happy for her.

A few hours later, when father came home, he had brought visitors. There were seven of them, and brother Masaki and sister Hitori looked shocked when they came in the door. I wouldn't have known who they were until later.

The one that caught my eye was the youngest. He held a large halberd and had long black hair tied into a braid. Saruwatari was calm around him, so I figured he must have been alright. I looked like a mess that day, though. After helping out with Hitori and training with Masaki (Who was, in comparison, superior to me), my dark blue trousers were torn, and my red kimono top with the orange obi was hanging off of my left shoulder. My brown hair was tussled, too, hanging into my eyes and falling down my back in messy curls. Father had sat on his high chair which I had been sitting on the head of. When he tumbled down into the strong whicker chair, I squealed in shock and scrambled away with Saruwatari following closely behind. Masaki sat besides father on his left side and Hitori sat on his right I sat back on the head of the chair with Saruwatari on my back. The seven men stayed standing, and I watched with curiosity.

"Bankotsu, these are my children. Masaki, Hitori, and Masato." Saruwatari screeched in protest. Father sighed. "And there is Saruwatari."

Saruwatari seemed to nod, then went back to clutching onto my back. Father had gone on to explain the situation to Bankotsu and the rest of the Band of Seven from there. They had listened intently, and seemed fixated on the mission at hand. Father had dismissed Hitori and Masaki, but I was instructed to stay behind. Saruwatari and I sat on the head on the chair again, watching Father and the leader of the Band of Seven whisper to each other. Father turned towards me as I waved at him, Saruwatari following suit, his large silver-green eyes smiling at him. I slid off of the head on the chair, landed on the cushion in the seat, and then landed on my butt on the ground. Saruwatari had been on my head during the whole ordeal. Father sighed, but nonetheless took me up by my shoulders and held me in front of him.

"This will be your guide through these lands."

I gasped, looking at Father incredulously. "F-father, what help am I to them? I'm only a simple girl, father. A simple girl with a pet monkey!" Saruwatari chattered nervously.

"Masato, you know this land better than anybody in the family, I would say." Father said. I opened my mouth to argue, but he put a finger over my lips. "Besides, you've barely been out of the house."

I stared down at my tattered clothes. "You must be kidding about not being out of the house." I stated sarcastically.

"Well, training doesn't count."

"A—"

"No, going to the store to pick up food is not considered being out of the house, either."

I was frustrated, to say the least. The question was, was I really going to go or not?


	2. Remembering Saruwatari 2

-Remembering Saruwatari-

-Remembering Saruwatari-

Chapter 2: Bankotsu of the Band of Seven

Of course I was going to go. I was being forced to, beyond my own will. Father said that it would be best if I were to spread out. He said talking to a monkey all the time wasn't going to get me anywhere. I had to agree with him on that, but Saruwatari thinks that he's a good friend. Father said that I actually had to interact with _humans_ some time in my life. Why should I? What have humans ever done for me?

Anyway, after going over my checklist for the twelfth time that morning, I decided that I had everything. This morning, I had on a new orange kimono top with a thin red one underneath. I wore black trousers and had bandages wrapped around my ankles. My hair was left out, falling down my back in thick curls. I made sure that some hair covered one of my eyes. Sighing, I put my checklist down and dug into the small blue white checkered sack again. I had food and a new set of clothes. I looked around my room and sighed. It was bland; a white wall, tatami style flooring, a blue futon, and a shelf for medicine. I walked towards the medicine shelf and pulled out my sword. It was a thin bladed katana, the blade a bit blued. The hilt was violet with a golden tassel on the end. The sword's sheathe was black and it had the crest of the Saruwatari on it. I grabbed a thick and long stick of oak out of the medicine cabinet and tied my sack to the end. Slinging the sack over my shoulder, I walked out of my room.

Outside, Father was talking with the leader of the Shichi'nintai again. I stayed in the shadows of the doorway and listened in closely.

"…you will take care of her, right?" I heard Father's voice rumble.

"If she can fight, she'll be all right with us." I heard the leader reply.

Saruwatari was hanging on a ceiling beamer, watching me eavesdrop on Father and the Shichi'nintai leader. He had his Night Nut tied securely onto his back. It was a large walnut Saruwatari had taken from a dead tree yokai's branches. Saruwatari has kept it ever since, and he hates it when it is "violated", or touched.

Sighing, I stepped out of the doorway, Saruwatari landing gracefully on my right shoulder. Father and the Shichi'nintai leader looked my way as I bowed.

"Good morning." I said. "Are we ready to go?"

"Oh, I didn't tell you?" The leader said, turning towards me. "We aren't leaving until sundown."

"Oh, really? Okay, then. I'll be back momentarily. I'm going fishing for a few hours."

"Not a chance." Father said gruffly. "You're going to sit with Bankotsu and actually interact with a human for once."

"You make me sound like I don't talk to anyone."

Father had already walked inside the house, brushing past me. Saruwatari screeched at him angrily, hugging my neck and chattering quietly. Bankotsu and I stared at each other until he patted the seat that had been warmed by Father. I stared at the spot and then shrugged, sitting in Father's previous seat. The two of us did not talk for a while, and the tenseness following the awkward silence was tangible. The wind blew through the trees harshly, making the air ring with the sharp whistle of the wind through the tree's branches. Saruwatari climbed into one of the trees, sitting high in the dense leaves and watching me with his large silver-green eyes. I pulled my knees up to my chest and sighed, hugging them. After about five more minutes of silence, I snapped my fingers. Saruwatari jumped down from the high tree canopy and onto my right shoulder. I stood up, grabbed my sack, and started to walk towards the Folded Wall (The official name for our hiding place). Bankotsu stared after me.

"Where are you going?" He asked drowsily.

"I'm going fishing. Hey, you're welcome to join me." I said over my shoulder.

Saruwatari screeched in protest, rapping me hard on the back of the head. I rolled my eyes and continued to walk to the Folded Wall.

At the Folded Wall, I gently peeled up the tarp that was designed to look like the neighboring building next to ours. I lifted the tarp and walked underneath, Saruwatari clinging on to a large chunk of my hair. We both landed near the side of the river that led up to the Folding Wall and started to follow it up the alley. Saruwatari picked at my hair with his chubby fingers as I smiled and patted his head. I sauntered out of the alley, my hands shoved into the deep pockets of my trousers. The villagers seemed not to take any notice of me, which was how I liked it.

Walking past the village limits, I turned down a dark dusty old path to Asuka Lake. The lake itself was a mix of sea green and crystal blue; a beautiful work of nature. I sat down at the edge of the lake, Saruwatari sitting besides me. I untied the sack from the oak stick and pulled out a thin but strong piece of string out of my trouser pocket. I tied the string onto the end of the oak stick and then reached into my sack. I pulled out a metal hook and tied it onto the end of the string. Then I cast out my line as the hook landed in the water with a satisfying splash. Saruwatari dipped his head in the water, submerging his pale little face. I laughed, pulling him out of the water with a quick jerk of my wrist. Saruwatari shook out his head and sneezed, hopping onto my lap.

After two hours, I hadn't gotten one bite on my fishing line. I scolded myself mentally; I should have dug in the ground and gotten worms for bait. Saruwatari had fallen asleep, his stubby little tail twitching. Saruwatari suddenly woke up with a start, his eyes flickering back and forth quickly. He chattered quickly, working up my shoulders and sitting on the crest of my head. Saruwatari stared at the old dirt pathway as I turned slightly. Bankotsu was standing in the middle of the dirt road, his arms folded over his chest. I stared at him for a few seconds before turning back to the lake.

"Any luck, woman?" Bankotsu asked, walking down towards the edge of the lake.

"No. Not a bite." I replied, staring hopelessly at my motionless line. "Why are you here?"

"Came to get some fresh air."

"Bull crap." I snapped. "Just go away."

"You are _so_ lucky I don't have Banryuu with me right now."

"We all should be _so_ fortunate."

Bankotsu frowned at me as I smirked and turned back towards the water. Saruwatari jumped in between Bankotsu and me, his eyes flickering back and forth. I yawned and leaned backwards, falling onto my back. I felt my eyes grow heavy as I closed them. Sunset was just dawning on us. Bankotsu grunted and stood up, grabbing my arm and yanking me onto my feet. I yelped and snatched my arm out of Bankotsu's grasp, glaring at him. Bankotsu smirked and started to walk up the pathway again. Saruwatari followed behind him, running on all fours. I gasped and growled inwardly; betrayed by my own monkey.

"Hurry up, woman! I and the monkey won't wait all day!"

I stood still, extremely disgruntled at Bankotsu's cocky nature. Nonetheless, I took the line off of the oak stick and tied my sack back onto the end. Then I slung the sack over my shoulder and ran up the pathway, seeing that Bankotsu and Saruwatari were almost near the village limits.


	3. Remembering Saruwatari 3

-Remembering Saruwatari-

Chapter 3: Masato and Saru

I didn't even get a chance to say goodbye to Father, Masaki, and Hitori. Bankotsu gathered his six comrades and we left immediately. Saruwatari was distressed about that, and on the other hand, I was hungry from the morning. So, I had to deal with Saruwatari, seven men, and a growling stomach. I rubbed my temples as Saruwatari held his Night Nut in his hands, chattering on consistently. His stubby legs carried him in short paces behind me as I led the seven men out of the village. In the fields, Saruwatari chattered loudly and quickly. I took him under his arms and shook him in front of my face.

"Shut up, Saruwatari! I'm tired, I'm hungry, and I want to take a nap! Just shut up!"

Saruwatari shrieked and threw the Nut at me, the nut creating a large red welt on my head. I hissed and dropped him, holding my forehead in pain. Saruwatari beat his chest in victory, grabbing his Nut again and hugging it. I snarled and held back tears. Saruwatari seemed to mock me, holding his forehead. I sighed, letting go of my forehead. The Shichi'nintai had been watching the exchange with bewildered expressions on their faces. I turned towards them and uncovered my forehead, blood running from the welt on my forehead. I gasped, spinning angrily towards Saruwatari.

"Saruwatari, look at what you did!" I said, pointing to my forehead. "I'm bleeding, little guy!"

Saruwatari jumped into my arms, climbing onto my shoulder and licking my forehead. I smiled and patted his back, Saruwatari cooing lovingly. He licked me on the cheek as I placed him onto my head. I took my sword out of its sheathe and pointed it in the direction of the unusually strong wind. I made a long slice through the air and heard a screech. My hair billowed out if front of me as Saruwatari hopped down from my head. The air in front of me rippled as a camouflage yokai knelt down in front of me, holding its stomach wound. It was dark blue; pale blue in its belly, and it was shaped like a frog. I narrowed my eyes at it as it glared down at me.

"You damned little monkey!" It snarled. "How did you know I was there?"

"The wind is stronger in this area particularly. It wasn't natural. I followed the direction of the wind and cut you. I suppose you're the culprit of all of this wind?"

"Maybe I am you little monkey." I flicked my sword upwards, the blade slicing the yokai's chin deeply. It yelled in pain as I jumped onto its head.

"My name is Masato Saruwatari."

I drove my sword through the head of the yokai as its eyes bulged out of its head. It started fall as I jumped off of its head and back in front of the Shichi'nintai. They looked at me incredulously as I turned, Saruwatari jumping onto my back.

"You'll see a lot of those around these plains. Our village has learned to ignore them."

"You seem to handle them just fine." A man with spiky black hair said gruffly.

"That's exactly why the village ignores them. I kill them all."

Saruwatari closed his eyes and fell asleep on my back. I sighed and adjusted the sack over my shoulder, walking ahead again.

Along the way as night fell, the oldest and shortest of the Shichi'nintai started asking me many questions, some of which disturbed me. I won't disclose the questions, but some were personal. Those ones I didn't take the time to answer; I just waited for his next dumb inquisitive statement.

"So, are you truly a monkey?" He asked.

"Do I _look_ like a monkey?" I replied, obviously perturbed.

"Do you know any…_tricks_?" He asked.

I raised a quizzical eyebrow, but didn't answer his question. I think I know what he meant by "tricks". I grimaced, and then hurried along. The fat little man was too close for comfort.

"My name is Mukotsu. What did you call yourself again?" He asked.

"Masato Saruwatari. My monkey, Saruwatari. Ask him questions, not me."

Mukotsu looked a bit crestfallen, and soon Bankotsu deemed it too dark to travel any longer. I suggested that we walked for a half and hour longer, to get as much light from the moon as we could before we waltzed into The Forest of Hymns. Once we got in there, we couldn't turn back for anything, and we could only travel during the day. Bankotsu angrily dug his halberd into the ground, marking the open field as our spot of rest. I angrily retorted by tossing a pebble at his head, the small stone hitting the eye of the star on his forehead. Bankotsu and the others of the Shichi'nintai had looked at me incredulously.

"There's a shed two miles of here. If we travel a bit faster, we can get there." I said.

"Well, I'm the leader, and _I_ say we rest here."

"Well, _I'm_ your guide and _I _say we keep walking until we reach that shed! It's incredibly idiotic to stay out in the open and rest! Didn't I state this afternoon that there were yokai around these plains?"

"Well, how about we can kill them with no problem and we don't give a damn?!" Bankotsu retorted.

"You act like a little child!" I said bitterly, folding my arms around my chest.

"At least I don't talk to a damn monkey!" Bankotsu yelled.

I opened my mouth to protest, but stopped. My eyes flickered back and forth, and I felt Saruwatari tense on my back. I held my sword's hilt tightly, listening for the sound of the creature that was stalking us. A large breeze hit my side as I was blown to the right, landing a few yards away from the Shichi'nintai. The air rippled as Bankotsu the Shichi'nintai drew their weapons. Saruwatari climbed off of my back and rolled me onto my back as I stood up. My kimono top was shredded, and three large gashes were prominent on my side. Bankotsu pointed his finger at me as the spiky black haired man came to check on me. I grunted, standing up and holding my sides. The air rippled again as Bankotsu lunged at the creature he couldn't see. I gasped and held out my sword, Saruwatari jumping onto the blade. Saruwatari and the blade glowed bright blue as pale pink wisps of smoke came and engulfed them. The blade had become larger—and much heavier—than it had been before. The blade was now completely blue with a greenish-silver shine and brown fur at the hand guard. It was called Saruwatari Metamorphosis—something I never knew Saruwatari could do until years before.

"You aren't in any condition to fight. Stay back and let Big Brother handle this enemy." The man said.

"And after Saruwatari did the Saruwatari Metamorphosis? No chance. Bankotsu can't even see the enemy. I'll handle it."

Letting go of my wounds, I held Saru (The official family name for the blade) with both hands and ran towards the ripple in the air. I jumped up and sliced down, hearing a loud screech ring through the air. I landed, blood spilling on the grass from my wounds. A large lizard yokai turned towards me, its red eyes blazing with anger. It opened its large mouth as a river of fire poured from it. I blocked it with Saru, swiping my sword and making the fire erupt the grass into flames. I jumped back, stumbling backwards onto my bottom. The scene before me was swirling, combining into all forms of delusional colors. I shook my head out, standing up. The lizard yokai was sniffing the air with its tongue, searching for the scent of bloodied Saruwatari. I dug Saru into the ground, keeping myself on my feet.

"Masato, get up!" Somebody yelled rudely. I noticed the voice as Bankotsu. "I knew bringing you along was a bad idea! You can barely keep yourself on your stick feet!"

I snarled, my eyes narrowing in anger. I gripped Saru and dug it out of the ground, running towards the lizard yokai.

"If I wasn't around, you'd be wandering around like a lost puppy!" I retorted.

Saru glowed pale pink as I swung it in two consecutive arcs. Two powerful pink beams shot through the air quickly, slicing through the lizard yokai. I landed on my bottom, Saru falling out of my hands. I fell onto my unwounded side, panting. The lizard yokai had stopped all movement, but it hadn't died. It was struggling in bright pink bonds around its feet, hands, and neck. Bankotsu jumped up and finished it off with a slice that divided it in half. I sighed in relief as Saruwatari and Saru diverged. Saruwatari chattered nervously, looking at the blood staining the grass under me. I sighed, reaching for Saru. I got it into my bloodied hand and closed my eyes. I let out a raspy sigh, grunting in pain. I felt someone's hand take my right wrist and stand me up. I fell into the person's chest and sighed, opening my eyes wearily. All I saw was a violet kimono with green leaf designs before my eyes rolled into the back of my head and I lost consciousness.


	4. Remembering Saruwatari 4

-Remembering Saruwatari-

Chapter 4: The Shed of Chaos

After the battle with the invisible lizard yokai, Bankotsu and the rest of the Shichi'nintai were on edge as we continued to traverse the plains. After getting wrapped up by Suikotsu (with the help of Saruwatari) and changing my kimono tops, I slung my sack over my shoulder and put Saru back in its sheathe. Then we continued on again. Walking for an half and hour like I had instructed, we did, in fact, reach a shed that was nestled in the thickets near the Forest of Hymns. When I found it, I smiled and hopped over a large log, running towards the shed. Opening my sack, I took out a small key. I slipped the key into a space between the door and door frame and heard a click. I placed my hand on the sliding door and slid it open slowly. Smiling at my ingenuity, I lit a candle that resided in the corner of the shed. I lit candles scattered about the shed and then returned into the main room, looking around anxiously. It had been a long time since I had visited the shed, and I was excited to be here again.

Ever since I was a small child, the shed had been my hiding space whenever mother got too sick and whenever father left the house to meet the emperor. I always kept food, water, and playthings inside the shed. Saruwatari liked to nibble on the mixed nuts I kept inside a small sealed can in the storage room in the basement. I tied the obi around my red and white kimono tops and sighed, sitting on the table in the main room. I crossed my legs and set my hands in my lap, glancing over the Shichi'nintai. Saruwatari walked across the feet of the seven men and then returned to me, sitting in my lap obediently.

"Alright, here it is. Tomorrow, we travel into the Forest of Hymns. Gather all you can here, because we cannot turn back nor can we travel by night in the Forest. There are many yokai in the Forest of Hymns, and somebody may end up gravely hurt or killed." I shrugged. "Any questions?"

"Just one." Bankotsu said while stepping forward. "Why don't we just go around the Forest?"

Saruwatari's eye widened as he cooed frightfully and hopped behind me, shivering. I raised both of my eyebrows at Bankotsu, patting Saruwatari's head behind me. "We cannot go around the forest because if we did, the Sirens would come after us."

Bankotsu and the others stayed silent, and then broke out in a crescendo of laughter. "Sirens?" Bankotsu asked dubiously? "Sirens?! That's a laugh!"

"It's _true_, and they _will_ come after us if we even attempt to go around the Forest. Besides, it's more of a border that divides Saruwatari territory from the other kingdom territories. It stretches out across the land and stops at the nearest shore." I scoffed. "If there was even a way to get around it, the Sirens would catch us and kill us before we even made it to the other side."

Saruwatari started to chatter, waving his arms frantically and walking around on the table's surface. I gasped, putting my fist into my palm. "That's right. There's a thinner part of the Forest of Hymns."

"Then let's go through that way and not spend time trying to get through a think part." Suikotsu said (I had learned his name when he bandaged me up).

I shook my head. "That's where the Sirens live." I stated darkly. "They would certainly kill us there, chop us into tiny pieces, put us in a stew, and eat us as rations for a good two months."

In spite of himself, Bankotsu let out a laugh. "What a dark sense of humor, Masato."

"Yeah, yeah, dark sense of humor, monkey talk, blah, blah, blah." I said lazily.

Bankotsu stood up, addressing a bald man. "Renkotsu, stay here and watch the monkey. Jakotsu, come with me to find some food. Suikotsu, Ginkotsu, watch Masato."

"I can watch myself, sexist brute." I said harshly.

Bankotsu and Jakotsu laughed and opened the small door to the basement. Suikotsu, Renkotsu, and Ginkotsu stared at me as Saruwatari and I stared at them. I cleared my throat nervously as Suikotsu tensed, his claws rising off of the ground. I stood absolutely still as a bead of sweat rolled down my head. Saruwatari was like a statue, his eyes wide and penetrating. I shifted in my trousers and then glanced over the three men nervously.

"So…um, well…when did you guys join the Shichi'nintai?" I asked, playing with my fingers.

"None of your business." Renkotsu answered.

"Gesh." Ginkotsu replied gruffly.

"Well," Suikotsu started. "I was the third in the group…so that must have been…two, three years ago?"

"At least someone told me. That's a long time." I said. "Um, well, I got Saruwatari when I turned fourteen, so I've had him for two years."

"You're a year younger than Big Brother, right?" Renkotsu asked. Before I could reply, he had a reflecting look on his features.

We sat in silence for all of another twenty minutes. Then Bankotsu and Jakotsu came back up with two packs of my chocolate squares, a ration of fresh duck, and some rice and sake. I gasped when I saw the chocolate squares Bankotsu carried in his arms. Saruwatari shrieked loudly and ran off of the table, jumping onto Bankotsu's face. Bankotsu dropped the chocolate in shock, grabbing Saruwatari roughly with both hands. Saruwatari dug his fingers into Bankotsu's hair and looked expectantly at me with wide, fear filled eyes. I gasped and Ran towards the chocolate, grabbing it and stuffing it in my shirt. I gave Saruwatari and thumb up as he detached himself from Bankotsu's face and ran onto my back. I sat back on the surface of the table as Bankotsu advanced on us slowly. Saruwatari shivered behind me, trying his best to hold in a fear provoked accident.

"Give…me…the monkey." Bankotsu snarled darkly.

"What will you do to him if I give him to you?" I asked, hugging Saruwatari into my chest.

"I'm certainly not going to give it a goodnight kiss! I'M GOING TO KILL THE LITTLE WEASEL!"

Bankotsu lunged for me as I jumped up, the chocolate hitting Bankotsu on the crown of the head. Saruwatari and I gasped as the Shichi'nintai laughed, all except Bankotsu. He stood up, growled, and glared at me, his eyes burning with anger…and a trace of something else. I couldn't pin what it was, because I was running away from him.

"I'M GOING TO KILL THE BOTH OF YOU! YOU BOTH GET BACK HERE SO THAT I CAN—"

Saruwatari and I were already running towards the basement. I flung open the door and pushed it closed, Saruwatari bracing his back against the door. All in vain. Bankotsu banged on the door, making it lurch and buck, almost tossing Saruwatari and me down the dark stairwell. I nudged Saruwatari with my foot as he nodded and ran down the staircase, resting at the foot of the stairs. He put a lit torch in the middle of the floor and then gave me a clap of accomplishment.

"I'm going to give you two until the count of five!" Bankotsu warned. "One…two…"

I hurriedly hopped every other stair and then jumped, hanging onto a ceiling beamer and flipping myself over the wood, bracing my foot against the thinnest part of the beam and then holding out my arms. Saruwatari jumped up into my arms, cooing quietly. I looked around for a puddle of water in the basement and found one in the corner of the room. I took one of the less important beams and tossed it at the candle holder. It tipped over into the dark puddle of water. Then the basement was dark again, and it was just as good too, because Bankotsu had pushed open the door. He walked down the stairs and then stopped, looking around blindly in the darkness. I was invisible to the naked eye, and so was Saruwatari. We gave each other silent smiles and looked down at Bankotsu.

"Where are you, Little Monkey?" Bankotsu hissed. I wasn't sure who he was talking about; me or Saruwatari.

All of a sudden, Saruwatari screeched, jarred himself out of my arms, and fell onto Bankotsu, hitting him smack in the back of the head and making him crash down to the ground. I hopped down from the beamer and picked up the candle holder, lighting the candle. Saruwatari was sitting on top of Bankotsu's head triumphantly. Jakotsu, Suikotsu, Renkotsu, and Ginkotsu came to the head of the stairs, looking down.

"Hey! What happened down there?" Jakotsu asked.

"Um, nothing!" I answered nervously.

"I will kill you, Masato." Bankotsu groaned. "You and your damned monkey."

I giggled nervously, and suddenly felt a bit unsafe with the Shichi'nintai.


	5. Remembering Saruwatari 5

-Remembering Saruwatari-

Chapter 5: Sirens

Early the next morning, we marched out at daybreak. Saruwatari and I knew that this was the time that the Sirens were sleeping. Bankotsu was walking besides me as Saruwatari yawned and then screeched, hiding in my shirt. I was shivering uncontrollably, and sometimes I would stop, hug myself, and then hide under a tree until I stopped hearing the cries of the deadly Sirens in my ears. Sometimes, Saruwatari would scramble up a tree and cry out in fearful yelps, and we would have to wait until he came back down into my shirt. Usually, I would be at the bottom of the tree, making the same fear inspired sounds. The reason why Saruwatari and I were so cautious was because we were traveling through the thin part of the Forest of Hymns. It was dangerous here, and we had no intentions about being mauled by Sirens.

Soon after the sun has high in the sky, we all started to hear a sound. It was singing, and the voice sounded like silver bells. I gasped, freezing in place. Saruwatari started to cry out in quiet, fearful yelps, hanging on to my back. Bankotsu and the others continued on, though. I held out my hand, trying to call out to them.

"Bankotsu, Jakotsu, where are you going?" I asked.

They didn't even turn my way. I know I had yelled it. The singing was ringing through my ears and tuning out my own voice! The Sirens had us marked for attack. This was always how it started. The men would be attracted by the singing and the females of the group would be tuned out to themselves and their teammates. Any animals on the journey…

I got slammed down to the ground as sharp talons pierced my shoulder. I yelled out in pain as two more talons came and scraped my back, grabbing Saruwatari. He screamed in fear as I cried out to him. Another Siren, one with long red hair and piercing blue eyes, was leading Bankotsu and the others further into the dark forest. Who was I going to save first; the seven men that cared nothing about me, or my monkey that meant everything to me? Aw, what was I kidding? The Band of Seven could fend for them. I leapt after the Sirens as I followed Saruwatari's panic filled screeches into the dark tree canopies.

After twenty minutes of climbing, I finally reached the nest of the Sirens. It smelled of rotted carcasses, and human sized—and some larger—bones were piled in a heap of blood red hay. The sight repulsed me, and it took all of my strength to not throw up right then and there. I walked on, Saru out and in the palm of my hand. The horrific screeches of the Sirens rang throughout my ears, and I knew that they were searching for me. I heard Saruwatari screech in terror as I yelled out for him. Big mistake.

A Siren came down from the tree canopies as I ducked, the razor sharp talons barely missing ripping my head clean off of my shoulders. The Siren had pale blue skin, blue eyes, and deep red hair. I screamed again, ducking as she flew over me. I stood upright and held Saru tightly in my hands, waiting for the Siren to lunge again. She came down, faster than ever, her sardonic grin baring her evilly pointed fangs. I jumped out of the reach of her sharp talons and swung Saru, the blade cutting through her scaly foot. She screeched and turned on me, her eyes a furious red. I backed away a bit, hearing the singing of the Siren that was with Bankotsu and the others. I backed into the trunk of another tree that climbed even higher into the sky. I gasped and started to climb, hoping that Saruwatari was up in the heights of the tree.

The Siren wasn't going to let me get away. I was the perfect prey for her; weak, frightened, vulnerable, distracted. Even with her injured foot, she flew up to intercept me. I screamed, swinging Saru in a wild arc. The Siren backed away, her eyes wide in shock. I continued to climb, swinging once in a while to keep the Siren at bay. She still pursued me, but she was more careful this time around. Once, I had put Saru in my mouth and had continued to climb with both hands. The Siren had attacked me then. She lunged, her fangs digging into the base of my neck. I screamed over Saru's hilt, grabbing it with my left hand and digging it into the Siren's back. The Siren kept her fangs deep into my neck, grabbing me with her front talons. Pulling me off of the tree, she swung me around so fast, I had gotten whiplash. Then she tossed me down to my previous position; on the middle canopy. I yelled in pain as I landed on my back, and the singing stopped. I heard the powerful beat of Siren wings as I was instantly surrounded. There were five in all, and I was the main course for their animalistic appetites.


	6. Remembering Saruwatari 6

-Remembering Saruwatari-

Chapter 6: Humans vs. Sirens

A large halberd sailed over the heads of the Sirens, making them duck. The halberd landed in the tough bark of the trees, the sickening sound of splintering wood filling the air. A stream of fire lit the darkness ablaze with light as the Sirens screeched and left towards the skies. I stood up hurriedly as Saruwatari came spinning out of the trees, blown asunder by the Siren's quick shot to the safety of the sky. I ran towards him as he landed into my arms. I smiled and cried into his fur, Saruwatari screeching and hopping onto Saru.

"Right!" I said in understanding. I swung Saru as Saruwatari and the blade merged. "Alright! Come at me, you damned Harpies!"

The five Sirens came down from the trees like darts, fast and lethal. I gasped, doing a back flip and then shuffling side to side as the Sirens missed me and turned around for another shot. Bankotsu ran over to my side, tugging at his halberd dug deep into the bark.

"Masato, are you alright?"

"I almost got cannibalized by Sirens, but otherwise, I'm fine."

I clenched Saru hard and twisted the blade to the side of me. The blade started glowing green as it started to morph, groan, and form, like warm clay. I grabbed Saru, the shape looking like a boomerang. Saru stopped glowing as it took the form of a large boomerang. It was actually Saru grown large and sharper in boomerang form. I waited silently, hoping that there would be no distractions. I lifted my arm back and—

A river of fire rose towards the Sirens. I gasped, Saru falling into the bark with a chilling crack. I slowly turned my head towards Renkotsu and yelled at him.

"Why did you do that for, you idiot?! The Sirens were in the perfect position where I could just toss Saru into the curve and I would kill them off!"

"Well, I didn't know, so don't reprimand me, you wench!"

I opened my mouth to retort, but hurriedly ducked when sharp talons almost snatched off my head. I slammed myself down to the bark and instantly got swarmed by three more Sirens. I rolled out of the reach of their talons and landed at Jakotsu's feet, hurriedly springing up. Jakotsu and I stood side to side as our three attackers flew back into the sky in an arc.

"Saru!" I yelled while tossing the boomerang.

Saru curved, following the arc of the Sirens. The Sirens flew low, and only one got a wing clipped off. Saru came back into my hand as the Siren I had hit fell to the ground in a bloody crumpled heap. The other Siren lunged at Jakotsu and I as I pushed him down to the ground, following suit as the Siren narrowly missed my head. I stood back up, aiming Saru at the Siren that could still fly. Jakotsu swung his blade as it nicked the Siren's talon. The Siren screeched and flew towards Jakotsu, his blade just returning to him. I gasped, but he quickly gathered his blade and swung again, cutting the Siren under the chin and to her lower lip. The Siren got blown back and then flew in a loop, returning to an upright position next to the fallen Siren. The fallen Siren—I noticed—had blonde hair done into a ponytail and angry blue eyes. Jakotsu and I stared at the two Sirens—the calm red haired one and the convulsing blonde. Jakotsu turned towards me. I looked at him and gasped. In his eyes was absolute calm. There was no worry; no fear. Like he had faced monsters like this before.

"Maybe we should get Big Brother over here. You aren't any help." Jakotsu said. "What are you so worried about?"

I gasped, realizing the blonde Siren was _gathering her breath_. I gasped and tossed Saru, Saru flying towards the blonde Siren. I turned towards Jakotsu as the red haired Siren blocked Saru and tossed it back to me. I gasped and jumped over it, catching it in my hand in mid air.

"Jakotsu! Kill the blonde, quickly!" I yelled.

"Right." I heard Bankotsu's voice chime in. I gasped, turning towards him.

"Don't go in too close!"

Bankotsu had already started running, jumping over the blonde Siren and swinging his large halberd. I was shocked at his immense strength. I gasped, my ears ringing.

"NO!" I yelled, tossing Saru.

The blonde Siren took in a large breath and screeched. It was so loud; Saru and Bankotsu were deflected from her and the red head Siren. Bankotsu landed beside me on his feet as I grabbed Saru. I placed it besides me as the leaves of the forest started to melt and get replaced by a light blue and white. The floor underneath us was not tree now; it was emptiness. The screech, I thought.

"Oh, no…" I whispered.

"What's with this place? Masato, what happened?" Bankotsu and Jakotsu turned towards my fear frozen face.

"Th-that was…the Abyssal Screech."


	7. Remembering Saruwatari 7

-Remembering Saruwatari-

-Remembering Saruwatari-

Chapter 7: Battle in the Siren's Abyss

"It was a what?" Bankotsu asked once more.

"The Abyssal Screech. Only a handful of Sirens can do it. It cuts you away from reality into their realm; where they're born. Here, they can kill you easily." Bankotsu and Jakotsu's eyes widened slightly. I continued. "They can have all sorts of special abilities they didn't have in out world. They can have invincibility, force fields, increased strength and speed, more melodic voice, bigger size. It's a battlefield where you can't win."

"Impossible." Jakotsu said. "We can win. No Harpies are going to get the better of us."

"There is a high probability that we will not get out of here alive."

The blonde Siren started to regenerate as her wing started to gain substance and form. She grinned sardonically and flew up, the red haired Siren following her. The two screeched as I covered one of my ears. When I looked up, the two had larger wings and sharper talons. I gasped and tossed Saru, trying to get the upper edge. Saru bounced off of the red haired Siren's arm and back towards me. I gasped and dived to the ground, Saru passing my hair. Bankotsu and Jakotsu had started attacking the Sirens, swinging and slashing, but with no success. Jakotsu got slammed to the ground by the blonde Siren as she glided down to meet his neck. I gasped and looked for Saru. It was almost about four feet away from me. I growled, not knowing what to do. Jakotsu was in such a vulnerable position, but I didn't want to get myself hurt as well. The Siren lowered her fangs towards Jakotsu's neck. I quickly stood and put my hands together, making the hand sign for the snake.

"Fukumen no Mokuzai!" I yelled.

Vines sprouted from the ground besides Jakotsu, shooting into the Siren above him. The vines carried her up as she thrashed and screeched. Then I ran towards Saru. I picked it up while running and then tossed it at the blonde Siren. Saru made its mark as a sickening slice filled the empty abyss. Jakotsu stood up, dusting himself off. I sighed, Saru returning to my hand. The Siren fell to the ground, twitching lightly. Jakotsu whipped out his blade and mercilessly ended its life. I winced and turned away in disgust, looking at the progress of Bankotsu's battle.

He seemed to be doing okay, his movements swift and his attacks powerful. He and the Siren were evenly matched, to my eye. Bankotsu swung his halberd in a tight arc as the Siren backed away in shock, a large gash on her stomach. Jakotsu swung his blade as it lashed out and sliced the Siren in the waist. I tossed Saru, the blade glowing bright violet. It left a shining streak behind it as it sliced through the Siren. Though, the Abyss did not fade. I gasped, seeing Renkotsu, Ginkotsu, and Suikotsu getting attacked by two of the other Sirens. I tossed Saru, separating The Sirens from Renkotsu and the others. They turned and nodded my way as I smiled. Saru returned to my hand as it transformed into my old blade again. I held Saru in front of me, my eyes blazing with anxiety and determination all at once. The largest Siren—One with blue hair and matching pale blue eyes—flew down to meet me.

"You're good fighters for humans," She said, "Especially you, girl. What's your name?"

"Masato Saruwatari, but you don't need to know that where you're going." I answered with a snarl. She chuckled.

"My name is Raidon, but you don't need to know that either. Today, I and my daughters will destroy you!"

"Two of them are already dead." Bankotsu answered, stepping forward. "You're next, Harpy."

"DON'T call me a Harpy! I'm a Siren, and damn proud of it! Those Harpies…those small, spineless…KILL THEM!"

I was sure she was taking about us. The Sirens—including Raidon—lunged at us. I stumbled backwards into Bankotsu as we fell onto the ground. A lucky thing, because we narrowly missed Siren talons. I got off of Bankotsu as he stood up behind me, holding his halberd tightly.

"Which one are you going for?" He asked.

"The one that was so kind to give me her name." I replied cockily. "I should give her a polite death, shouldn't I?"

Bankotsu chuckled as he and Jakotsu went to handle the other Siren. Renkotsu, Ginkotsu, and Suikotsu handled the fourth Siren, and I was left with Raidon. She grinned, but it wasn't a cruel grin. She just grinned, and then it faded into a small smile. I blinked and she was gone. I gasped and turned, but her talons had already snatched up my long hair. I screamed as she lifted me up into the air. I swung Saru hard, the blade flashing bright blue before it cut through Raidon's leg. She screeched and flew up as I landed on my bottom. I shook myself out and looked up, watching Raidon wail over her leg. She glared down at me and opened her mouth, orange energy forming in it. My eyes widened as I started to run, cursing Saru's weight as it slowed me down. The beam chased me as it landed just at my ankles, blowing me forward into the Siren Jakotsu and Bankotsu were fighting. She and I landed on the ground as she grabbed my hair and pinned me under her. She chuckled darkly as I struggled under her, tears welling in my eyes. I was scared, and I couldn't hide that.

Instantly, I felt the Siren's weight off of me, but along with her came a large chunk of my hair. I felt it and it was shorter, falling only a bit below my shoulders. I rubbed my head where my hair had been ripped out and growled. Raidon was hovering over me.

"She's my prey, wench!"

Raidon tackled me as we rolled on the ground. Saru was left behind. I struggled to get out of Raidon's grasp, but it was no use. I screamed as loud as I could, which was a bit louder than a Siren's screech. Raidon covered her ears and flew upwards as I massaged my now tender throat. I ran over to Saru as wisps of smoke started to form around the blade. I gasped but grabbed its hilt, lifting it up. The smoke started to lift off the blade and into the air. Soon, it was foggy, and visibility was almost unheard of. Bankotsu, Jakotsu, and I looked around blindly, knowing that it was all in vain.

I was tackled to the ground again, a cut on my arm. I stood back up and just got slammed down again. Could the Sirens really see in this fog?

"You humans smell funny." I heard Raidon coo.

"They really do, mother. It's easy to pick out the monkey." I heard another chirp.

"Let's kill her first."

The blows continued as I fell to the ground in a tired heap. Blood was coming from a particularly large gash on my side, and I was exhausted. I struggled to get up, but more blood just fell onto the floor in wide puddles. I felt someone grab me by the crook of my arm and lift me up so that I was standing on my feet. I looked up at Bankotsu.

"You awake, Masato?" I nodded weakly. "I guess we'll have to get you some new clothes, huh?" I giggled lightly. "That's going to take a chunk of money out of my pocket."

Raidon and her two daughters circled over us, and I saw their outlines in the thick fog. I pointed upwards, at Raidon. Bankotsu followed my finger.

"What?" He asked.

"Kill her…first." I cooed weakly. "I'll help…"

"Just point them out." Jakotsu said. "Suikotsu, we need help!"

I nodded and smiled weakly, the world swimming in front of me. Bankotsu shook me as I laughed, finally passing out. I couldn't have heard his pleas to keep me awake. The last thing I remembered was my finger falling and hearing Saruwatari's worried screeches.

Bankotsu's POV

"Masato! Masato, wake up, now! You're the only one that knows where there Harpies are! Come on, _wake up_."

I placed Masato down on the ground, seeing as that she was a complete nuisance in this dangerous situation. Saruwatari had grabbed her blade Saru, waving it in the air in a circle. Jakotsu and I looked at it incredulously, not knowing what it was doing. I bent down to face level with it and lifted it onto my shoulder. Saruwatari continued to wave the sword around in a large circle.

"What _is_ it doing, Big Brother?" Jakotsu asked.

"I have no idea." I answered.

Saruwatari pointed the sword firmly in the North-east direction. I looked in Saru's direction, but got slammed down to the ground with a rip in my clothes. Saruwatari rolled onto the ground, but instantly sat back up and waved Saru around. Renkotsu gasped and ran towards me, grabbing his cannon.

"Look at the monkey's actions closely, Big Brother!"

I looked at Saruwatari, but still had no clue of what he was doing. He held Saru taut in the South, and Renkotsu turned and fired. I heard a loud screech and then Saruwatari started waving Saru again.

"I see now!" Jakotsu exclaimed. "Saruwatari can see the Sirens! He's using Saru to follow their direction. When he stops the sword in a certain direction, The Sirens are attacking from there!"

I growled, scolding myself for not understanding earlier. I lifted Banryuu to face level, and carefully watched Saruwatari. Jakotsu and I watched closely as Saru stopped in the east. Jakotsu and I twisted and swung our blades, watching blood spatter onto the ground.

"NO!" I heard Raidon cry.

She screeched, which gave her away. Instead of heading towards us, she dove towards Masato. I heard Jakotsu scream her name, but I was already running after Raidon. I heard a screech through the fog as I heard the sound of snapping. Raidon was slammed down to the ground as I saw Kyokotsu's bulky figure through the fog.

"Hey, thanks Kyokotsu." I said.

He nodded and swatted another attacking Siren out of the sky and onto the ground. She was the last one. I walked towards her, grabbed her by her thick blue hair, and placed Banryuu's blade tip to her throat. She looked scared for her life. That excited me, as usual and as expected.

"Where's the closest village to buy provisions?" I asked in a menacing tone. The Siren shivered, and then swallowed, tears welling in her golden eyes.

"E-eight miles away. The village of Amoco. Th-there's where you can find supplies."

"Good girl."

I slit the Siren's throat as the Siren's Abyss started to melt away. I slung Banryuu over my shoulder and looked over at Masato. A puddle of blood lay under her, and she was terribly pale. Her lips had gone a bit blue at the ridges, and her hair had been ripped out, now shorter than it was before. I knew she was heartbroken about that.

"Renkotsu, you'll carry Masato while we walk to Amoco." Saruwatari screeched angrily, beating my foot with his tiny fists. I sighed and picked him up by the scruff of his neck. He looked at me with wide, clueless eyes. "I can't carry her; I have a freakin' halberd over my shoulder." Saruwatari screeched and hit my nose. "Okay, okay! Fine."

I grabbed Masato off of the ground, placing her on my shoulder. Sighing, we jumped out of the trees and walked out of the Forest of Hymns towards Amoco.


	8. Remembering Saruwatari 8

-Remembering Saruwatari-

Chapter 8: The Robes of the Savior Higure

"Uhn…"

I groaned, sitting up. I was dressed in new clothes, I noticed. It was a black kimono, stopping in the middle on my hips. A white cloth ran down the middle which was connected to white linen lining underneath. I looked at my legs and found knee high leg warmers that were open toe. The kimono has short sleeves, and a white sash tied it all together. It hugged me perfectly, and I felt warm and comfortable. I looked around the room. It was plain, with white walls, tatami style floors, and a large shelf on the other side of the room. Was I back at home?

"Ah, you're awake, yep-yep." I heard a cracked voice coo.

I turned and stared at a very old looking woman. She looked tired, and her blind eyes followed nothing. She stared at me though. I waved unsurely.

"Hello, madam." I answered strongly. "Um, where may I find my companions?"

"Outside, but I will bring them in."

I heard an excited screech as Saruwatari crashed inside and tackled me back down onto my futon. I laughed and rubbed his back, and I heard another excited yell from the doorway. I laughed as Jakotsu ruffled my hair and patted my back.

"Masato, you're okay!" Jakotsu said.

I nodded and sat up, Saruwatari grabbing a chunk of my shortened hair. I sighed as Jakotsu clapped his hands together, his eyes twinkling. He offered to shuck off my split ends, and I enthusiastically accepted his kind offer. In a short little talk we had while walking through the forest, Renkotsu had told me that Jakotsu didn't exactly like women. To me, he seemed to be pleased with me. Maybe because I wasn't a woman, but a girl. It was true, though. I was only sixteen. Was I really qualified to be called a woman? I sat upright, pondering about this while small locks of my short hair fell off. Jakotsu and I talked about the fight we had with the Sirens while he fixed my hair, and then he finally talked about how to get my hair curly. He said it was perfectly thick, and he loved styling it. I forbid him to do anything other than make it curly.

"Old woman, warm me some water!" Jakotsu commanded.

"Jakotsu, ask much more politely." I said.

"Yep-yep, you should ask respect of a priestess." The old woman crooned. "And my name is Moraga."

Jakotsu pouted, not caring what her name was or what she was. Moraga gave him a bowl of hot water as he dipped my head in it. Jakotsu kept my head in the water for about twenty minutes. When he pulled my head out, my hair was very curly, and bangs fell in front of my eyes. I smiled and hugged Jakotsu as he nervously patted my back. Bankotsu came through the door and let out a wolf whistle.

"Who's that curvy fox on the futon?" He said seductively. I growled inwardly, but a blush appeared on my cheeks instead.

"Shut it, Bankotsu." I said, turning away to hide my blush. My curls hid my cheeks perfectly.

"Just joking, Masato." I looked at Moraga.

"Thank you Moraga. For everything. Are these your clothes?" I asked.

"No-no, those are the robes of the Savior Higure."

My eyes widened as I blushed darkly and squealed. Saruwatari jumped up and down, chattering excitedly. Bankotsu and Jakotsu looked confused.

"Who's the Savior Higure?" Bankotsu asked. I squealed again, my blush getting darker.

"Only the greatest, most handsome hero _ever_!" I explained. "A long dark ponytail, beautiful onyx eyes, muscular chest, pristine white skin!"

"Sounds like a total hunk." Jakotsu said. "I'd like to bloody him up."

"I adjusted his clothes just a bit to make it flattering for your body, yep-yep."

I nodded and felt the fabric on my clothes. I felt the strength of Savior Higure seep into me. I sighed dreamily, wondering if he was a small skinny man if his clothes could fit me. Saruwatari cuddled into my chest, but I knew he wasn't doing it to feel my heartbeat like he usually would. No, he was trying to find the heart of Savior Higure. I was, too. I touched the middle of the cloth and squealed, almost feeling his heartbeat synchronize with mines. Bankotsu and Jakotsu exchanged confused glances, shrugged, and turned towards Moraga.

"What's the story on Savior Higure?" Bankotsu asked, staring at me and my elated expression.

"Not much is know about him, but he is said to save defenseless damsels from yokai, obelisks, and Sirens."

"Sounds _so_ heroic." Bankotsu seethed. "Oh, do you know where the Imperial Army is?'

"They are still at the village of Yamatomo. I believe you can intercept them there."

I nodded and played with my clothes a little bit more, a dark blush covering my cheeks. The thought of even touching the clothes of the Savoir Higure…I sighed and stood up, walking outside with Saruwatari on my shoulder. He grabbed my hair and sniffed it, chattering calmly. I laughed and walked out into the sunlight.

Taking in a deep breath, I noticed Suikotsu and Renkotsu leaning on either side of the small hut Moraga lived in. They stared at me and my new clothes as I blushed and looked forward. The two turned and followed my gaze. There was nothing but the classic sight; mountains, sun, clouds, and trees. I yawned, Saruwatari falling asleep on my shoulder. I sniffed the air and suddenly realized a very pale pink smoke was wafting over the land where the hut was. Renkotsu and Suikotsu's heads started to bobble up and down, the two finally keeling over and falling asleep. I gasped and looked around, Saruwatari falling off of my shoulders. I looked around and saw a young girl. She was dressed in green and had flaming red hair. Her eyes were blue and she held an alabaster pot that was filled with the sweet smelling substance. She walked in front of me and smiled.

"You seem not to be affected. I am sorry; I have seemed to left my pot open. Is Moraga present?"


	9. Remembering Saruwatari 9

-Remembering Saruwatari-

Chapter 9: Meeting Prentiss

After helping the girl close her pot and getting Renkotsu, Suikotsu, and Saruwatari awake, I led her into the hut. Moraga turned and her blind eyes stared at the doorway. The girl dropped her pot and ran towards Moraga, hugging her around her small neck. I smiled at the sweet sight, taking my seat beck in between Bankotsu and Jakotsu. Bankotsu nudged me with his elbow.

"Who's the small child, Masato?" Bankotsu asked me.

"I don't know yet. She seems to have ties to Moraga, though." I responded.

"Oh, grandma-ma! I have missed you so!"

Moraga and the girl parted, sitting besides each other and turning towards us.

"This is my youngest granddaughter, Prentiss." Prentiss nodded, her hair falling in front of her eyes. "I would like to ask you something. You are the Band of Seven, correct? Please, take Prentiss with you."

"No, we can't." Bankotsu said. "We already have two monkeys; we don't have room for another one."

I growled at Bankotsu, letting him know that I didn't appreciate being called a monkey. I mean, I know my last name is Saruwatari, but come on; you big jerk. Saruwatari screeched in protest, but quieted when I stroked his fur. Prentiss walked over to me and put her hand on my chest. I blushed, thankful that my bangs covered my eyes slightly, or else Prentiss would have seen the uncertainty and confusion in my silver eyes. She kept her hand in that location for all of five minutes, uncomfortable silence filling the cabin. Then Prentiss stood, opening her pot. A blue smoke poured out and filled the room.

"Masato, start running." Prentiss warned softly.

I looked at her quizzically, but before she could explain, the smoke slowly started moving in on me. I stood slowly and—tripping over Bankotsu's outstretched leg (the jerk)—I started running. I burst out of the door and tripped, falling on my face as the smoke bound me by my arms, legs, and stomach. I yelled curses out as Prentiss, Jakotsu, Moraga, and Bankotsu came out of the house. Kyokotsu and Ginkotsu had come from the forest with arms full of food. I shouted curses to the heavens, wanting the smoke to release me. Bankotsu chuckled and pointed down at me, Saruwatari sitting on his shoulder.

"Hey, I like this smoke. Can we keep it?" He asked Prentiss.

"Let me go, let me go! I swear, if I'm not free by the count of five—!"

The smoke—as if frightened by my threat—released me and rushed back into Prentiss' pot. She put the lid onto it and nodded.

"This is the one, Grandma-ma." Prentiss cooed.

"I thought so. No wonder the clothes latched onto her so tightly."

"I thought you made them for me?"

"No, I did not. I simple cut them up to be more female-friendly. I put them onto you and they just lathed on and didn't seem to let go. There's something special about you."

"…I can talk to my monkey. Is that considered special?"

Prentiss and Moraga exchanged glances and simultaneously replied, "No."

I sighed, putting my face in my hands. I massaged my temples and sat on the ground. When told to go back into the cabin, I stayed firm and refused to move.

"So, do you want me to tell you the specific story of Savior Higure?" Moraga said, sighing sadly.

"I shall tell it, Grandma-ma." Prentiss stood and sat in front of me, staring into my eyes. "He was a great man, born to a holy being and a human woman in a faraway land. He grew in the faraway land for 100 years, coming to Japan about 100 years later. He was 200 when he made his first mark on this land and conquered the Northern lands. Taking on the appearance of a young 17 year old boy, he ruled the land with a gentle but iron fist. He was killed by one of his "faithful" servants and his princess was killed. He was put into rest in his faraway land. His mother—the holy being—revived him 16 years after his death. He now has the same form and is saving females in distress. He feels that it was his duty after his princess had been killed."

The hut was filled with a silence, a brooding, reflective silence. I had more important things to worry about than some heroic legend. I stood up and dusted myself off. I headed towards the door as Saruwatari chased after me. Prentiss started to walk towards me. I turned to face her.

"May I come, please?" She asked, her eyes looking up at me. They were full of wisdom, but childlike innocence as well.

"Yes, you may. All of this information has made my head hurt. Let's go blow off some steam."

Saruwatari cooed in agreement and followed me, jumping onto my shoulder. Prentiss followed behind me closely, grabbing the seat of my cloth. I stiffened, but then continued walking. Behind me, I heard Bankotsu and the others start to laugh at me. Three words rang though my head; "_Bankotsu, you jerk._"

"Bankotsu, Masato does not like you being such a je—"

I covered Prentiss' mouth and hurriedly ran out towards the hill in front of the hut.

Bankotsu's POV

"She doesn't like me being such a what?"

Jakotsu shrugged as I huffed and lay backwards. I wondered all about this Savior Higure person. He sounded strange; saving women all day every day. It must have its benefits, though. I don't know what those would be, though. I saved Masato's life and she didn't even thank me. The first thing she said to me was "Shut it, Bankotsu". Ungrateful wench. Though she did look beautiful with curly hair. I mentally slapped myself; I'm never thinking that again. She's practically a monkey!

"You shouldn't speak of such a beautiful treasure that way." Moraga cooed quietly. I sat up instantly and pointed an accusing finger at her.

"Stay out of my mind, you old hag." I warned.

"You might lose her, and might not get her back."

"Shut up, you old croon!"

"Bankotsu, be more polite to Moraga."

Regular POV

"Bankotsu, be more polite to Moraga."

I was leaning on the door frame in the doorway, my hand resting on Prentiss' soft head. She opened her jar and out came a cloud of butterflies. We had collected them ourselves. Saruwatari has eaten some, but he's a monkey (What can you do?). After watching the last of the butterflies fly away into the grass laden fields, we walked inside the hut and shut the door.

"Moraga, I'm sorry, but we have to go!" I said hurriedly.

"The army is going to march out ten days from now."

"I know! I just got a letter from father; the latter isn't even half prepared for deploying an army to intercept a force of that aptitude!" I exclaimed. "We have to leave, now."

"Why can't we rest for a bit, Masato?" I tossed the letter at Jakotsu.

"Read it on the go! We have to leave! Moraga, I humbly thank you for what you have done for us. We will take good care of Prentiss."

As we all gathered our weapons, I made sure Saru was secure on my waist. Then I led everyone out of the hut and towards our destination.


	10. Remembering Saruwatari Bonus 1

-Remembering Saruwatari-

-Remembering Saruwatari-

Bonus 1: Drabble with Jakotsu

The group had stopped for the night in a small sheltered plain. The trees grew all around it, making it more of a small little circle. I sat next to a sleeping Prentiss as Bankotsu, Suikotsu, and Renkotsu left to search for food. Only Jakotsu, Ginkotsu, Mukotsu, Kyokotsu, Saruwatari, and I were awake. Jakotsu shifted and then put his arms in his large sleeves. He was staring at me while he shifted. Was he getting ready to ask me something?

"Um, Masato?" He started nervously. "Um, do you have any relatives?"

I blinked; confused that such a question would come from him. I shifted in my seat as all eyes turned towards me. Prentiss' head snuggled into my side softly. I cleared my throat and slightly nodded.

"Of course I do. You've seen my father, brother, and sister, haven't you?"

"Well, yeah, but we didn't see much more than that. Where's your mother?"

"She's kept in bed, crippled with sickness."

"Will she get better?"

"I don't know."

"What's her diagnosis?"

"We have not gotten her a doctor. Our family cannot afford it." I said sadly. I would like to know what my mother has, so that perhaps I could help her.

"Does your mother respect you?"

"I would hope so."

"My mother didn't respect me. She did not like the path that I chose regarding relationships. She wanted me to fall in love with a woman, but I instead got to liking men. I don't think she ever forgave me for that, and she lost he respect for me. I didn't want to gain that whore's respect anyway. When did her opinion count?"

I stared at Jakotsu. He hadn't opened up to anybody like this, apparently. Mukotsu, Kyokotsu, and Ginkotsu stared at him as he clenched and unclenched his fist in his lap. I placed Prentiss on the ground and walked over to Jakotsu. He had his face in his hands now, breathing in and out deeply, his shoulders shaking. I didn't know if he was crying of if he was shaking with rage. I sat besides him on his place on the rotting log and gently put my hand on his back. He tensed, but relaxed and started shaking again.

"Jakotsu, it's alright. You can be whoever you want to be. People will judge you along the way. They think it's not normal, but to you it is. It's only you; you don't need anyone else's opinion. Screw them; they don't know anything. They can't read your mind or your emotions." I thought and pondered. Jakotsu had stopped shaking. "I remember overhearing my mother and father talk one day. After my brother, my mother only had daughters. After me, most of them died stillborn. My father said that I was a mistake…he said I should have been carried away from this world."

"That's terrible!" Jakotsu exclaimed, his face shooting up from his hands.

"I was unexpected," I continued, "My mother and father had to make room for me. They spent a multitude of money, and I was thought to be a burden on my family. My brother got the most attention as the only son, and thus, I was left to rot inside my little shell. When I got Saruwatari as an heirloom, it was the happiest day of my life. I had someone to talk to, and this someone respected me and loved me. Saruwatari thought I should exist."

"When I met Bankotsu, life had gotten better for me. He didn't think I was abnormal or anything. He took me in stride, and I was glad. Nobody regarded me as a abnormality anymore."

"I was still an abnormality, even when Saruwatari stayed with me. Hey, talking to a monkey doesn't look all that attractive to a couple of normal people, does it?"

"You talk about normal people like they're different from you."

"If they're not weird, then I don't like them!" I declared, folding my arms across my chest and sticking my nose in the air. Jakotsu and I started to laugh, and soon Bankotsu, Renkotsu, and Suikotsu came back in the camp with a large boar. When they found Jakotsu and me laughing together, they stared at us, confused.

"Um, are we disturbing something, you two?" Bankotsu asked, setting the boar down on its rump.

"No," I said in between laughs, "No, we were just waiting for you."

Jakotsu smiled at me and nodded, grabbing the boar. "I'm freakin' starving! Let's eat!"

We all cheered and started to carve the boar. Prentiss woke up and smiled as Jakotsu and I talked the night away with the others.


	11. Remembering saruwatari 10

-Remembering Saruwatari-

Chapter 10: The Curse of Amoco

After leaving our spot in the plains, the ten of us (Including me, Prentiss, and Saruwatari) trekked through the plains and towards Amoco. Bankotsu figured we had a bit of time to stock up on supplies, and then we would walk on directly to Yamatomo. I twirled my hair around my finger, nervous about the idea, but Prentiss agreed. Since she had a connection to Moraga (who was a mind-reader), I figured that her judgment was as good as anyone's. So, without protest, we traveled to get provisions; and nothing more.

Well, that was the original plan before we got caught up in The Curse.

We had just walked into Amoco when I shivered involuntarily. Prentiss went solemnly silent and Saruwatari was clinging onto my shoulder tightly. We had all stopped at the entrance of the village, but Bankotsu and the others had continued ahead. When they noticed we were not traveling behind them, they turned back towards us.

"Masato, Prentiss, hurry up." Bankotsu goaded. "We can't stay here forever."

"This place is frightening." I cooed softly. Prentiss nodded.

"Why?" Jakotsu inquired.

It was only because there were no people around. There were no sounds, no signs, and no mark of human occupation anywhere. Smoke wasn't coming from a chimney, fieldworkers were not tending the fields, and animals weren't even present! Bankotsu and the others just kept walking.

"Why are you still walking?" I asked angrily. "Don't you realize what a strange place this is? There are no people _or_ animals! There's nothing growing in the fields, and there's not even a bird flying over this place! What's wrong with you?!"

"Calm down. This place might be a bit strange, but hey." Bankotsu smirked. "Free stuff."

I muttered under my breath, saying curses that would make even the foulest yokai blush. Following behind Bankotsu and the others, they started to raid the houses and toss things out we would need for our trip. Some salted meats, grains, wood, a pot (which I didn't think we really needed), and three bottles of sake. Like we couldn't get all this stuff at Yamatomo. I crossed my arms across my chest, looking around nervously. I felt a presence following us, and Prentiss and Saruwatari felt the presence, too. When Bankotsu and Jakotsu finished raiding one house, they hurriedly moved on to another. Moving slowly behind them, I felt a hand on my shoulder. Gasping, I turned with my hand on the hilt of Saru. Saruwatari screeched as Prentiss let go of me and ran. I looked backwards slowly and saw a large black figure standing above me with violet eyes. He seemed to be melting in the sunlight.

"Masato, run from it!" Prentiss called out.

"Help…" The figure took in a deep breath. "…me."

We sat in the shade of a house, watching the shadow morph into a tall worn out villager. I gasped and almost fainted, my eyes starting to roll to the back of my head. The villager grabbed my arm and shook me so that my eyes focused on him again. Saruwatari and Prentiss were calmer now, but they still huddled close to me, Prentiss grabbing at the cloth covering my chest and pulling herself onto my lap. She had left her alabaster pot on the ground.

"Who are you?" Suikotsu asked.

"I am Kai, the village doctor." Suikotsu growled at this, and Kai backed up against the wall and covered his head. "I-I-I've been living here for ten years! I-I-I cannot go out into the sun, o-or I turn into th-th-that monster!"

"So, like a curse." Renkotsu implied.

"Yes; it is called The Curse of Amoco. We were all once human. We lived a yokai named Kage who gave us food and supplies to build the village. One day, we ran out of food and possessions to donate to him. He placed us under a curse where we turned into shadows in the day and humans in the night."

I nodded, putting my fingers to my chin. I looked over Kai. He was skin and flesh, but only in the shadows. Before, he was that…thing. I sighed and leaned back until my head hit the wall. Prentiss took up her pot and opened it, a black smog covering Kai from head to toe. He seemed relieved, like he had just been doused with ice cold water. Prentiss stood up as I followed, Bankotsu and the others standing behind us.

"Masato, don't we have to leave?" Jakotsu asked.

"…" I sighed, turning sideways to face him. Prentiss turned her head slightly. "We've gotten caught up in this. We have no choice but to help them."

"Whatever, do as you'd like. I'm going to intercept that army in Yamatomo." Bankotsu stated while walking off.

"Aw, really? And I thought it would be a real good challenge for you if you could defeat that powerful yokai that placed the curse on these people." Bankotsu stopped walking. "But, hey, you want to leave. Go ahead; I'll take all the credit for defeating it."

"No way!" Bankotsu stated. He came up besides me and cockily smirked. "What's our pay when we're finished?


	12. Remembering Saruwatari 11

-Remembering Saruwatari-

Chapter 11: Shadow King

We waited until night fell to fully investigate The Curse. As soon as the sun set, lights burst from the houses, causing me to jump into Bankotsu's arms without warning. When the sounds of hammering reached my ears, I hugged his head until he pried me off. He had placed me besides Prentiss nervously, folding his arms across his chest and turning the other way.

I heard someone yell "INFEDEL" and chase after a group of cats running down the street with a large fish between them. Prentiss went walking about while Saruwatari sat on a roof of a house, watching the people walk around the village. After waiting for three more hours, I saw the people head towards the Amoco exit. Bankotsu and I exchanged glances and stood up. We followed behind the quick paced villagers. Once we reached the common area, I stumbled backwards into a shocked Suikotsu. He caught me and pushed me up, which made me fall forward into the dirt. Bankotsu and the others were staring wide eyed at the podium in front of the villagers. It was large, three large squares of polished rock with a large golden throne on the top. I stood back up as I felt a hand grab my bottom. I turned downwards and saw that it was Prentiss. I had no idea why she liked to grab my bottom, but she was only eight. I watched as a shadowy figure in a black cloak came up and sat on the throne. Saruwatari climbed onto my head and started screeching. The shadowy figure looked our way, but did not respond.

"It will only be a matter of time before you are freed, Amoco." He said flippantly. "I'll give you one more chance to give me an expendable donation." His eyes finally turned towards me and narrowed at Prentiss, me and Saruwatari. Two large guards appeared on the sides of us. "You know what to do! Apprehend them."

I gasped as a guard grabbed Prentiss around her head. A large halberd went through his stomach as Prentiss ran over to Bankotsu. I heard a screech as the other guard grabbed Saruwatari and started to shake him. I felt something inside me snap, and I drew out Saru and cut down at the guard. He rubbed the cut and shrugged, hitting me on my wounded side. I yelled out in pain and held my side, sweat beating on my forehead. I guard grabbed me by the arm and slung me over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"Let go of me!" I yelled in protest.

I started kicking at it, but the guard shoved his shoulder into my stomach, making me choke on my breath. I groaned and then kicked weakly. The guard chuckled, like I tickled him. I growled, wanting to kick to crap out of the guard. I grabbed Saru again and started stabbing at its head, but I got no dice. It just rubbed the spot where I stabbed it. I growled as Saruwatari started to slowly crawl towards Saru. He leaped onto the blade as it flashed bright blue, but stayed narrow. I shrugged and stabbed through the guard's head, the guard falling to the ground. I gasped and hopped off, landing on my rump. Saruwatari came out of Saru, cooing gently to me. I smiled and hugged him.

"I'm okay, Saruwatari. Prentiss? Prentiss!"

"I'm over here, Masato!"

Prentiss waved to me from behind Bankotsu. I sighed in relief, but suddenly felt cold. Prentiss froze and Bankotsu and the others lifted their weapons slowly. I turned slightly and got my breath snatched out of me. The shadowy figure was right behind me. Saruwatari arched his back and yelped in angry squeals. I held out my hand to quiet him. I stood up slowly, not turning towards the figure.

"Turn, woman." He commanded. I felt myself involuntarily turn. The figure grabbed me and stared at me. He grabbed my head and tilted it upwards so that my neck was exposed to him. "What a nice neck…it would look good on my wall."

My eyes widened as I kicked at him, worried for my life (and my head). He blocked my kicks easily and then punched me in the stomach. I coughed, gasping for air (once again; where's my damn luck there days?). I fell onto my knees, my curly hair sticking onto my sweat laden forehead. I looked up with pained eyes, my stomach aching. Prentiss walked forward from behind Bankotsu. Saruwatari ran towards him.

"Masato…" She cooed gently. I blinked and suddenly saw a long sword tip at the side of her throat.

"Don't walk a step closer, or I'll chop your head off." The figure said. He held the sword over me. "And you, monkey wench."

"I'M NOT A GODDAMNED MONKEY, YOU ASSHOLE!" I yelled involuntarily. The figure seemed to frown and the sword came down. I gasped and felt nothing at first. Then I held my chest as my heart skipped a beat and a cut came onto my cheek.

"Apologize, _wench_." The figure cooed into my ear.

"I-I-I'm s-s-sorry." I stammered frightened to the point of doing anything he told me to.

"Good. Now, you'll come with me peacefully if you want the little girl and your companions to live."

"Bankotsu and the others are strong." I looked back at them and then sadly glanced at Saruwatari and Prentiss. "It's not them I'm worried about. Leave Prentiss and Saruwatari alone."

"Fine. But you will come with me."

"…yes, alright."

The figure grabbed me by my arm and lifted me onto my feet. I kept my eyes down to hide my tears from everyone.

"Amoco, thank you for the sacrifice. Much better that last month's wench. Maybe I'll relieve you of your curse sooner than later."

The crowd started to give thanks to Kage. My eyes widened, and my shoulders convulsed as tears streamed down my face. I was just sacrificed to Kage, the Shadow King.


	13. Remembering Saruwatari 12

-Remembering Saruwatari-

Chapter 12: Sanction! Free Me, King of Shadows!

Bankotsu's POV

Prentiss had started crying, and nobody had made a move to calm her down. We just watched Masato get led away by the shadowy figure that had so suddenly come before her. I had to guess—judging by his power, stance, and even tone—he had to be Kage, the Shadow King. With a long sword like that, though, who could possibly defeat him?

I could, duh. The only question was—how?

I could barely hear myself think over Prentiss' sobbing. I shoved her a bit with the butt of Banryuu, and she quieted to loud sniffles. Jakotsu patted her head as I heard a familiar scream from the crowd. It was Kai, the doctor. He came bursting through the crowd, landing in front of us on his face. He stood up hurriedly, dusting off what seemed to be one of his best kimonos. He adjusted his hair and stared at us with fright filled eyes.

"That girl, Masato, I think it was. Yes, yes, did she just get taken away?!" Kai asked. I scoffed.

"Yeah, what did it look like?" I asked.

"Don't be so nonchalant about this! King Kage is not merciful to his sacrifices! What will you do to save her?!"

"Uh, what we usually do to any castle." I smirked and then broke out into a maniacal grin. "We burst in and murder the place."

Regular POV

Kage wasn't exactly the gentle type. Whenever I would even whimper atop of his large black stallion, he would hit me mercilessly in the gut until I stopped crying. The only crying I did was in pain, and he liked it that way. We reached a large dojo looking household. There were pale servant girls with silver eyes. They were holding colorful urns, and at first, I thought they were in the same position as me. However, I looked closer through my tear filled eyes and saw that they had fangs. I screamed and squirmed on the horse, not wanting to get closer to the yokai women. Kage hit me hard in the stomach as I coughed and grasped the cloth of his elegant kimono. He looked back at me, but allowed me to grip onto him for support from the pain.

We finally reached the doors of the house, the yokai women parted. Kage grabbed me and held me bridal style (possibly the most humane thing he had done to me on the trip), carrying me inside like a delicate china doll. Once the doors closed behind us, he set me gently on a soft velvet chair. I groaned my stomach hurting. I held my head, my temples throbbing. What had he done to me to cause me such distress and pain? I tried to sit up, but I fell back down onto my back as the pain from my stomach almost made me faint.

"You're a weak little monkey." Kage hissed, taking off his cloak. His hair was bushy and a little bit was kept in a ponytail. You could only see one of his gold eyes. "What's your name?"

"Masato…Saruwatari." I gritted through my teeth. I was seething with anger.

"Ah, Saruwatari. Your name fits you, Little Monkey."

"I like being called by my _real name_." I hissed in contempt.

Kage laughed, though, and tossed me a cup. Then he brought over a bottle of sake. "You have a strange way of coping with your own betrayal and sacrifice, Li—_Masato_." He laughed and passed me a full cup of sake. "That will heal your stomach."

"I think you bruised me."

"Who could have taken that whimpering throughout the whole trip? I had to do something to shut you up."

I growled and downed my sake, holding out my cup for more. Kage smirked and poured me some more. "So, what's your age?"

"Seventeen, but who's caring?"

"Measurements?"

My eyes widened. "What for? Are you planning something?"

"You're a sacrifice, and my father likes a particular type of woman. He likes them young, buxom, and bit fiery. I guess you'll have to do; you're buxom enough."

"I'm not going to be a sacrifice to anybody. If my companions do not come to save me, then by God I'll save myself! By any means necessary!"

Kage nodded. "Fiery as well. Very good, then. Your sacrifice will commence at nightfall tomorrow. So that everybody can see."

"I'm not going to be a sacrifice, you—!" I felt electricity run through my spine as I yelped and slumped forwards. A guard has shocked we with the "hand" of lightning.

"What's this on your forehead?"

I groaned and cast my eyes upwards. I saw nothing. Kage ran his finger over it as I growled. It was hard. It was a hard lump on my forehead. I thought it was bone. I was about to cry out. But then I heard a soft chime, saw a golden light, and then the ordeal ended. Kage backed away from me, taking me by the wrist and lifting me onto my feet. Then he pushed me against the wall, and started to pace. He paced and paced, finally, his head snapped towards me. I gasped, wondering what he was trying to do with me.

"What happened to your brown hair? Your eyes of silver? Where are they?"

I gasped, grabbing a lock of my hair. I fainted, the last thought running through my head.

_My hair __**is**__ black._


	14. Remembering Saruwatari 13

-Remembering Saruwatari-

-Remembering Saruwatari-

Chapter 13: By Your Will Alone, Big Brother!

**Disclaimer: Oh, yeah, I'm NOT an anime genius, so I don't own anything…expect for Masato, Saruwatari, Prentiss, and any other characters and plot events I'll make up.**

Bankotsu's POV

"Big Brother, when will we go to save Masato?" Jakotsu asked, sipping a bit of sake.

"After I've had my fill of sake and women."

"Then you won't be in the mood to do anything!" Suikotsu retorted jauntily. We all laughed, but when I spotted the somber Saruwatari and Prentiss, I sobered up just a bit.

"May we please save Masato now?" Prentiss asked sadly.

"She'll be fine until we go and get her. Now eat something; there are rice balls on the platter right there."

Prentiss sighed and reached out for a plump rice ball on the far side of the platter. I spun it around as Prentiss grabbed her desired rice ball of choice. She took a bite out of it and then put it in her jar. I frowned at it, wondering what Prentiss kept in the thing. So far, she had sleeping smoke, rope like smoke, butterflies, black smog, and now she could fit a rice ball in there? Prentiss confused me; strange girl. I leaned backwards and frowned, taking a sip of my sake. I heard a girly scream and turned towards the kitchen of the bar we were in. A maid burst out of the kitchen door, a sword through her chest. The bar went silent as Prentiss opened her pot, but just a bit. A gray smoke—momentarily flickering to black—seeped out, ran down the side of the alabaster pot, and onto the floor, heading towards the guard that was standing in the kitchen doorway. I watched the smoke as it slipped past the scared people's feet and started to get closer to the guard.

"The King had requested an execution," The guard mumbled loudly, "The execution of monkey woman Masato Saruwatari, for her shape-shifting ways."

The smoke rose onto the guard and wrapped around his throat. Prentiss closed the pot as the bar echoed with a sickening crack. The guard fell limp, and all was silent. The people stared at Prentiss as she stood up and headed towards the door. Saruwatari—who seemingly came out of nowhere—hopped onto her back and the two started to leave.

"Where are you two going?" Suikotsu asked gruffly. I noticed he was a bit on the rough side lately.

"To stop that execution." Prentiss answered.

With that, both Saruwatari and Prentiss walked out of the door. I sighed, wondering if I should follow.

Regular POV

As Kage led me out of the house and into the backyard, I was still a bit confused and scared. What happened to my hair? Kage had said my "eyes of silver". What happened to them? What were they now, rainbow colored? Kage led me to a small lake that sparkled in the moonlight. We bent down as he shoved my head near the water. Some of my hair fell into the water, and I gasped.

_My eyes were gold._

I almost screamed, but I silently sat upright. There was a jewel on my head, a sort of small diamond. It was silver, like my eyes. I sighed and covered the jewel with my hair. I looked at Kage's unsettling glare. His fist was shaking, grass showing through his fingers. His eyes were fixed upon the lake before us. He seemed to be thinking about something. He turned towards me slowly, and I felt a sudden urge to spring up and run away. I followed my instincts, and that was exactly what I did. I stood up and ran, but Kage had already anticipated my actions. He grabbed me by the foot and slammed me downwards, sitting on top of me. I groaned and looked up weakly, grass tangled in my now midnight black hair.

"I've already sent out a guard to clean the gallows. I'm going to execute you."

"I've done nothing wrong!" I retorted.

"I'll say, and shape shifting isn't a cause for alarm?"

I gasped. Shape-shifting? I was no shape shifter! Was Kage mad, or just confused by the way my hair and eyes changed. It was no matter; I was about to be executed! Well, better now than later, because in the next hour, it would be sunrise.

Bankotsu's POV

After following Prentiss for a good ten minutes, we reached a dark sight; steel gallows with a large shrine in front of it. Prentiss walked towards the front and sat down. She looked back expectantly at us, so we sat down behind her.

"The execution will begin in five minutes and forty six seconds."

I shrugged, shifting Banryuu on my shoulder. I was supposed to wait for five minutes to beat this Shadow King's ass? Why not just go to the castle and handle the problem, I thought irritably. Still, though, we waited.

After five minutes (and supposedly forty six seconds; Renkotsu counted), people swarmed the gallows. Guards appeared at the sides, and a dog like guard in appearance came up as well. I saw the same shadowy figure holding a girl with black hair and golden eyes. She had a small silver diamond on the crest of her forehead. Saruwatari screeched as Prentiss gasped. I looked at the girl hard, concentrating.

"Masato, no!" Prentiss yelled in tears.

It was Masato? I was surprised; she had changed. Her hair was no longer a vibrant brown, but a dark midnight black. Her eyes were no longer pure silver, but a glittering gold. What had happened to her? I lifted my halberd either way, jumping up and slicing the thing in half. The two steel beams groaned and fell and the large blade snapped off of its rope and shattered into tiny pieces. The crowd screamed as the others jumped onto the gallows. Kyokotsu grabbed Prentiss and put her onto the gallows. Saruwatari ran towards Masato as the crowd began to murmur.

"Savior Higure…" They all whispered. "…those golden eyes…those robes…no doubt; princess…"

"Bankotsu! You were coming to save me all along! I knew you weren't always a jerk!" I said with tears in my eyes.

"Hey, jerk?!" I retorted. "Take that back or **_I'll_** execute you!"

I heard a dangerously low snarl as Kage stood up, his eyes glowing red. Another larger figure was behind him. A _much_ larger figure.

Regular POV

It was Kage's father that much I knew. He was larger than I expected, though. His hair was long and black, and his eyes were hellish red. Bankotsu raised his halberd as I drew Saru. Saruwatari jumped onto the blade as it grew bigger. I lifted Saru and—to my surprise—my eyes began to glow. I felt like I was taken control of after that. I held Saru behind me and ran, passing Kage and jumping up. I swung Saru in a large arc with much more strength than I thought I ever had. Kage's father yelled out, holding a large gash in his stomach. I landed on the ground, preparing for another jump. Kage tackled me to the ground, and we rolled and tumbled on the ground. Kage pinned me onto the ground as I stared at him with a deadpan expression.

"Do you think you can beat us by yourself?" Kage hissed.

"No." I said, then I rolled from under him as he narrowly missed being sliced in half by Jakotsu. "I have my companions." My eyes turned towards Kage's father as I slowly started walking towards him.


	15. Remembering Saruwatari 14

-Remembering Saruwatari-

Chapter 14: Fighter's Soul

Kage's father was more than I expected. I stopped at his feet, looking up with glowing golden eyes. Kage's father stared down at me with red eyes, his hair blowing in thin strands behind him. He bent down to meet my eyes, white teeth showing on a black silhouette. He placed a hand on my head and laughed, licking is lips. I narrowed my eyes and clenched Saru tightly.

"You look familiar, little girl." Kage's father said gruffly.

"I should. I put you away a long time ago." I replied. A part of me gasped, not knowing who was talking. It certainly wasn't me. Kage's father narrowed his eyes, though.

"Yes, I should remember. I'll kill you!"

Kage's father took out a very long blade and swung at me. I jumped over the blade and landed on my feet on the ground, watching for any other signs of attack. I was panicking on the inside. What was going on? Kage's father started to twirl on his large feet, his sword protruding out of the cyclone he was steadily making. I gasped as his large twister started to near me. I started to run, still keeping my eyes on the twister behind me. The sword came over me as I ducked, and I saw a flicker of my brown hair. I held Saru tightly as bright blue smoke came from the tip and started to surround the blade. Saru became thinner, longer, and was stained blue. I held the new Saru ahead of me, stepping forward cautiously. I turned towards Bankotsu and the others. They were fighting guards and Kage. Bankotsu and Kage were in a steady deadlock. I gasped, watching the tip of Kage's father's sword come to my forehead. I bent backwards, getting a small cut on my forehead right above my diamond. I flipped backwards, avoiding three large red balls. I landed on my knees, looking up at Kage's father.

Panting, I stood up and blocked sword strokes made by Kage's father. I was used to the large hulking Saru protecting me; the new Saru was confusing to me. It offered no protection or support. I felt the sword clip me on my right leg as I fell onto my knee. I was tired, my brown hair falling onto my leg. I yelled as I was lifted up by the collar of my clothes. Kage's father, eyes red with fury, twisted around and let me loose, making me crash into a large tower. I groaned, Saru clattering to the ground a few yards away. I held my shoulder, blood coming out of a gash. I found a spike in my shoulder and pulled it out, blood coming from the wound and cascading down the left side of my back. I yelled out, gritting my teeth together with pain. I fell onto my knees on the ground, trying to gather the strength to get back up and fight.

"Masato, get up!" Bankotsu goaded. "Get up now, Masato!"

I grunted as Bankotsu kicked Saru towards me. The golden flash passed by my eyes again as I took up Saru. I stood up, holding my hair in front of my eyes. Black again. I narrowed my eyes and ran towards Kage's father, jumping up and holding Saru above my head. Kage's father looked up, holding up his blade to block my attack. Our blades collided as I jumped off and slashed left to right twice. Kage's father blocked with succession as I landed on my hurt leg. I grunted in pain and growled again, landing on my bottom. Black hair or not, I was completely exhausted. I had absolutely no energy left. My wounds stung, my mind was scrambled, my back ached. What more could I do? I was only one girl. One simple girl. One simple girl who couldn't even keep up with her mission for more than a week.

Just now, I'm realizing this? Right in the middle of a battle, ready to face my own death? Just now, I realized that I'm not fit to do this? I had said it before, but I was being humble. I was too cocky. These yokai weren't like the ones back home, and they never would be. I was on a whole new playing field, and I didn't know the rules. I didn't know how to play the game, and I felt idiotic. I punched the ground weakly, frustrated with myself.

_This is pathetic…_ I gasped. Who had said that? _Get up. Come on, get up. Get off your ass and stand._ I did as the voice said, but I didn't know who it was. It was a feminine voice. It was soft but strong. A woman's voice. _Good. Now, listen to me. The figure in front of you is powerful. I know how frustrated you are. I know you feel powerless in the face of your foe. I know you feel small, insignificant, and feeble. But look around. You have people to save. You have companions that believe in you. And you have me._

I looked around for the voice. There was no one there. I gasped, feeling like I was just shoved aside. Then I glared up at Kage's father, Saru tightly clenched in my hand.

"So, you're deciding to fight again?" Kage's father asked.

"No, I am not fighting. There will not be a fight. You will die." I said, pointing Saru's blade towards Kage's father. He laughed.

"You, little girl, have a strange way of coping with your own imminent demise. I applaud you, though." Kage's father growled and raised his sword. "Time for you to die!"

I jumped as the sword crashed into the ground, rocks lifting to the skies around me. I jumped onto them until I was directly above Kage's father's head. I jumped onto his head, bending down so that I met his eyes. He glared at me and opened his mouth, wisps of smoke coming out. I gasped as they grabbed me, trying to pull me off of his head. I yelled, driving Saru into his skull to try and stay atop of his head. He yelled in pain and started to toss and shake his head, blood running in between his eyes.

_Aim for the middle of his throat!_

I jumped down and hung onto the lobe of his ear. I jumped down and landed with cat-like elegance onto the rim of his armor. I walked until I reached his throat. Saru started to glow fire white as a strange sensation made me shiver. It ran up my back and onto my shoulders. My wound started to heal, and energy poured from my back. I screamed in pain, the energy burning. Kage's father grabbed at me, but the energy pouring from my back burned his hand badly, a few tongues of white fire licking his fingers. I fell into his armor, the energy latching onto his body. Kage's father glowed fire white and started screaming in pain. I fell out of Kage's father's trousers and landed on the ground, starting to run. A bright flash engulfed the gallows as I got blown back, rolling backwards and landing on the ground.

I opened my eyes, staring at nothing. I smiled, chuckling. There was nothing there! I had defeated the true Shadow King, Kage's father! I stood up, Saruwatari separating from Saru. Saruwatari hugged me around my neck, licking my cheeks. I smiled, looking down at Saru. It remained the same, a thin long sword. My new weapon. I sighed and put it in its sheath. I looked back, watching Kage fall to his knees at the death of his father.

"No, father!" He cried out. He sunk to the ground, covering his eyes.

"The sun is rising." I stated. The villagers came out of hiding, walking towards the gallows. "We may not be able to gain back the sacrifices that had been so cruelly taken from families, but you are all free. As soon as we handle one last problem."

"May I?" Bankotsu asked cockily.

I nodded, turning away from the sight of Kage's decapitation. The sun's rays broke through the dark as the villagers stayed the same. They stared at each others brightened forms and started to cry and laugh and hug each other. I smiled at the others as Prentiss came and hugged me. The fearsome night had ended, and the curse of Amoco had been eradicated.

"Oh, thank you, thank you! Thank you for all that you have done."

After the other night, my hair had turned back to normal and my eyes were silver once more. The golden diamond still remained on my head, but I regarded it as beautiful decoration. After the large breakfast we had (and the intense pampering Bankotsu received as gratitude from the women in the village), we finally left Amoco and headed towards Yamatomo.


	16. Remembering Saruwatari 15

-Remembering Saruwatari-

Chapter 15: A Proposition

We had walked for a grand total of five more days until we reached Yamatomo. When we finally reached it, Prentiss had fallen asleep at my feet, her pot dropping to the ground. I picked her up as Suikotsu held her pot. We walked through the gates of Yamatomo.

Now, as a simple country girl, I knew nothing about large imperial cities. When I saw Yamatomo, I was overwhelmed instantly. There was the Yamatomo castle which towered over all of the other structures. The other houses, shops, and provinces were just as large if not larger than the castle. There was the sound of bartering at stations and laughter, the smell of cooking rice balls and noodles, and the sight of bright lights and bold colors. All of it made me incredibly dizzy. Bankotsu held me steady as I teetered back and forth. Prentiss looked at me with a confused stare. Saruwatari was already jumping onto roofs and wires and plucking paper lanterns from the lines above the town.

"Hey, you alright, Masato?" Jakotsu asked.

"I've never seen anything like this before! I-It's incredible!" I cleared my throat and frowned. "Still, I need to negotiate with the Lord of Yamatomo. Maybe he'll listen to reason."

"Or a pretty face." Renkotsu added.

...

"My, my, what a lovely woman!"

"Told you." Renkotsu said with a condescending smirk.

Lord Yamatomo—who was no more than twenty—was more than willing to talk with a pretty face. He kept Renkotsu around, too, but I think that was because Renkotsu was the overall smartest. The others were told to roam around Yamatomo as they pleased while I stayed around to negotiate. Renkotsu and Saruwatari were eyeing Lord Yamatomo suspiciously. Renkotsu sneered and turned towards me. I was staring intently ahead. Lord Yamatomo called in two servants, one with cups and one with sake. They each poured three cups and handed them to us. I took a sip of my sake as Renkotsu and Lord Yamatomo downed theirs in a matter of seconds. I sighed and cupped my hands in my lap.

"Can I talk now, or are we going to drink the problem of your army's deployment away?" I asked irritably.

"Oh, of course, my army." Lord Yamatomo came down from his seat and sat next to me, his back towards Renkotsu. Should I have told him to not turn his back on a mercenary? Lord Yamatomo leaned towards my ear. "I'll relinquish them from your city."

"You will? Is there a string attached?"

"But of course! There _has_ to be. I want you to stay in the castle with me while two of my army men go to the Ruins of Hashibeshi."

"Hashibeshi? Savior Higure's burial site?"

"Yes. We looked there, and his body was there a week ago." I gasped, covering my mouth. "An agent went there again on a secret pilgrimage, and his body was gone!"

I had not known this tidbit of information. Would it explain the diamond on my head? Was the voice Savior Higure? No, Savior Higure was a man! I was sure I heard a woman's voice talking to me. Well, I had completed my mission. Maybe I could return home after this. Something, somewhere in my mind told me to delve more into this mysterious Savior Higure business.

"Lord Yamatomo," Renkotsu said, "How will your army know when to come back?"

"I was hoping you could tell them. I'll tell your leader that you have left to deliver the message. Come back with my army in tow!"

Renkotsu looked at me unsurely as I nodded. He took a piece of browned parchment from Lord Yamatomo and headed out of the door. Lord Yamatomo scooted closer to me as I stood up, holding my hair in front of me. It was still brown.

"Excuse me, Lord Yamatomo. I would like to ask you something."

"Ask away, silver eyes!" He said jauntily.

"Do you have a library? Or a room of documents? May I view them?"

Lord Yamatomo stood up, walking towards the stairwell. I followed behind him as he reached a large brown door. He pushed the doors open as I walked inside. There were many shelves of scrolls, and one large desk was in the back facing a window. Lord Yamatomo winked at me and shut me inside. Happy to finally be alone, I started searching through the scrolls. I found three on Savior Higure; one about his life, one about his family, and one about his weapon, Masquerade. I walked towards the desk and sat in a chair, starting to read over the scroll about his family.

I studied long into the night, only stopping to light a wax candle. The flame danced and created flickering shadows that reflected my still figure. After getting no new information from the family and parent scrolls, I started on the scroll about Higure's weapon, Masquerade. It was a grand thin sword that—if wielded correctly—could set flames to Higure's enemies. Masquerade was a pure black sword. Higure was said to have three other cohorts on his first quest when he was alive: Sabina, the archer, Ryuuhei, the warrior, and Haiti, the juggler. The four went on Higure's quest to first find his parents and to destroy the people that placed a curse on the Mountain of the Saints, Higure's original home. Only Higure "survived", for he was found by his mother and placed in rest. Sabina—heavy with Higure's child at the time—Ryuuhei, and Haiti died at the hands of the Hands, bodiless entities that served the curser of the Mountain of Saints. I had not noticed that my hair had turned black and that my eyes had melted into deep pools of gold. I sprang up when I heard banging at the door.

"Masato, are you in there?" Prentiss asked.

"Yes, I am. Prentiss, do you need something? I'm actually very busy."

"I want to talk to you."

"I'm doing intensive studying right now, Prentiss."

"It is of the utmost importance. It is about Savior Higure."

I stood up and rubbed my bottom, walking towards the door. I opened the door as Prentiss walked inside, walking towards the desk and sitting in front of it. I yawned and walked behind the desk, sitting down. Prentiss felt my black hair and smiled.

"Do you think you will turn back to normal?" Prentiss asked.

"I don't know, Prentiss. I like having black hair and gold eyes, actually."

"I think you were prettier before." Prentiss said in a childish tone.

"I was always called a monkey, though. I didn't take to kindly to that."

"I know." We sat in silence. "Are you coming down for dinner, Masato?"

"I thought you needed to talk to me about Savior Higure?"

"No. That was an excuse to let you let me in." Prentiss grinned deviously.

"Okay. Let's go down to dinner."

Once Prentiss and I left the scroll room, we heard a loud commotion downstairs.

"Where's Renkotsu, you cocky bastard?!" I heard Jakotsu yell.

Prentiss and I rushed down the stairs as I saw Saruwatari cowering under a table. Jakotsu was holding Jakotsuto to Lord Yamatomo's throat. I ran towards Jakotsu, holding Jakotsuto from Lord Yamatomo's neck.

"Jakotsu, Renkotsu went to alert Lord Yamatomo's party to come back! My village is saved!"

"Oh, really? Oh, Masato, I'm so happy for you!" Jakotsu said, patting my back.

I smiled, looking back at Bankotsu. After taking a sip of sake, he looked at me and winked. I wonder what all of that was about.


	17. Remembering Saruwatari 16

-Remembering Saruwatari-

-Remembering Saruwatari-

Bonus Chapter 2: Short Drabble with Bankotsu

Outside, Bankotsu and I were watching the remaining army men train. I was sitting by Bankotsu's feet, toying with my brown hair. I sighed, leaning backwards. Bankotsu squinted and muttered, clapping his hands together. I sprang up from the sudden sound, smoothing out my hair.

"What's wrong, Bankotsu?" I asked.

"I found out what's so different about you." Bankotsu said. "Your hair was black a few hours ago."

"When we were training?"

"Yeah."

"Yeah, it was black."

"…hey, was anybody in your family a mercenary?"

"My father before he decided to aid the leader of our village."

Bankotsu and I watched silently as the army men continued to train. One: A step forward. Two: A stroke facing rightwards. Three: Shield up. Four: A step back. I memorized their pattern and sighed, watching them. Their form was so monotonous; they should be able to fight naturally. Bankotsu groaned and leaned back on Banryuu, looking up at the sky. I decided to ask him now; it was as good a time as any to ask.

"Why did you become a mercenary, Bankotsu? I mean, what made you want to become one?"

"I needed money, and I thought it was a good idea."

"That's a lie, and I know it and you know it!" We both went silent. "Did you kill something and then decide it was fun?"

Bankotsu turned, smirked, and gripped the handle of his Banryuu. "Yes, I killed a cat. It was by accident, but it was still exciting."

"Oh…"

"What made you decide to come with us?"

"Dad told me to."

"That's the only reason?!"

"Yep, pretty much."

Bankotsu moved up and step, leaning towards me.

"You sure there's not _another _reason?"

I shrugged, blushing a bit. "No other reason than that."

Bankotsu looked a bit shocked. I stood up, bowed, and then walked inside the castle. I was tired of watching the monotonous pattern of the army men.


	18. Remembering Saruwatari 17

-Remembering Saruwatari-

Chapter 17: Straight from the Horse's Mouth

_Eh…wh-what is this? What's going on?_

_"Stay back!"_

_I was lying stomach down on the ground, my back hair fanned out to my sides. My stomach hurt terribly I was bleeding from my arm and a spot on my head. A tanned girl with light pink hair and blue eyes was standing in front of me, holding her arms out. There seemed to be many, many white fingers, reaching out for me. I opened my mouth to scream, but a loud groan came out. I curled into a ball and held my stomach. Something was kicking furiously inside._

_"Mistress!" The girl got swatted violently to the side, landing on a wall, a red river following her path downwards._

_"Haiti!" I cried out. "Why? Why her; why?"_

_The fingers reached out towards me, and I shut my eyes tightly. I heard the slicing of flesh and finally a dark, painful scream that receded into the darkness. I opened my eyes and saw a tall figure reach out his hand to me._

_"Sabina…you are saved."_

…

I woke up with a start, screaming. I was covered in a cold sweat, and I thought I still felt small convulsions in my womb. I held my stomach and the convulsions faded away like smoke. I looked around the room, lifting myself from the futon and walking towards the window. The moon shone gently on my face, making the jewel on my forehead glow. I picked up a lock of my hair and gasped. It was black again. I groaned and let my head hit the windowsill. I lifted my head as my eyes locked with pine green ones. I gasped my mouth wide open. The figure in front of me had on strange mist gray clothes, a veil over her mouth, pointed ears, and lilac colored hair. Her skin was tan, and her gaze was icy but a bit comforting. I screamed, falling back on my bottom. The woman floated into the window and landed on her feet in my room.

"So, I take it you saw?" She asked.

"Saw what?" I asked quizzically.

"Never mind."

"Who are you?"

"Just a restless ghost."

"How am I talking to you?"

"Oh, I dragged you with me."

"W-with you?"

"Yes, exactly. Your body is on the futon."

I turned around slowly, staring at my raven haired golden eyed body still and pale in the futon sheets. I took in a large breath and screamed, scrambling towards my body. I touched it and knew that I was dead. The body was ice cold, and the lips were already turning blue. Tears welled in my eyes.

"Am I really…dead?" My voice cracked when I uttered the word dead.

"No, I've put you and your body in suspended animation. Simply put, I've stopped your body and everything else in a five mile radius."

"So everyone's body's look dead?!"

"No, you're just cold."

I stared at the woman incredulously. Was she taking this as some kind of joke? Her veil lifted and I knew that she was smiling at me. Was she mocking me? It was about eighty five degrees outside. There was no way my body was cold. She was toying with me; she wanted to see how I would react.

"I was just kidding." The woman said after a tense silence. "It's a deficiency of me taking you with me. Your body _does_ have no ghost right about now. Come on, let's go. The night won't last forever."

The woman grabbed my wrist and jumped out of the window. I had no choice but to get pulled along. The two of us walked through the air like we were walking on the earth below us. The woman had finally let go of my hand, letting me walk besides her myself. She kept her eyes on me, challenging me almost to try and run back to the castle by myself, an unguided soul where soul collectors are especially abundant. I sighed and walked besides her, putting my hands behind my back. My hair had grown a bit since the battle with the Sirens, and it was almost to my waist again. I missed my long hair. The woman's hair was my length, just about. We walked in silence until we reached a large body of water. The moon did not shine on it. It was dark, rocky, and foreboding. The woman grabbed my wrist and floated down, landing on the water's surface. Then she started to walk towards the east, towards the vast expanse of the dark uninviting waters.

After twenty minutes of following the woman, I saw a rocky mass lift out of the water and almost into the sky. The woman and I walked until we reached the rock mass. Then we walked around it until we reached an opening on the Eastern side. I peered inside and instantly turned away. There was blood everywhere, two guards lying dead near a white tomb. The moon shone into the hole, and the small puddles of ocean water were blood red. The woman and I (although I was a bit more reluctant) crawled inside. I stopped near the guards, checking their pulses even though I knew they were dead. Then I followed the woman to the white tomb. It was a simple wooden box painted white with a few flowers on the top. The woman pushed it open and revealed something I would have never expected.

The Body of Savior Higure.

I screamed, almost running out of the opening. I collapsed onto my knees and started to cry, unable to believe that Savior Higure was really _dead_. The woman came behind me.

"What did you expect? Did you really think he was alive in the same old, wrinkled, war-scarred body? His mother might have put him in sleep, but I took him out of that body and put him in another."

"So…he's still alive?" I asked through tears.

"Yes, he is. He's just in a different body."

I sighed in relief. "Oh, thank goodness." I stood up. "By the way, who are…?"

The woman was gone. I was left alone by myself to find my way back to my "dead" body. I sighed and crawled out of the cave, standing on the water. Deciding to retrace my steps, I walked back to the castle and reached it in a matter of twenty five minutes. I climbed into the window and saw the woman; her legs folded one over the other, her hands resting on her knee. She was sitting on my body's stomach. I gasped, growling.

"Get off of my body!" I yelled. The woman laughed.

"So, I need you to do something for me." She said, ignoring my order.

"What?"

"I need you to find a new vessel for Higure's soul. His body now is slowly rejecting him."

"Oh, no!"

"Then will you help me?"

I glared at the woman, but nodded.

"Good girl."

Then she vanished, and the sun shot up like it was shot from a cannon. My body's eyes shot open, and I wasn't a ghost anymore. I looked around, confused and scared. What had I gotten myself into?


	19. Remembering Saruwatari 18

-Remembering Saruwatari-

-Remembering Saruwatari-

**Disclaimer/Apology: I'm so sorry I took this long to update. My internet is very very slow and I have found it hard to upload documents and thus story updates have been slow/unproductive. Oh, and Inuyasha does not belong to me. It belongs to the person who made it. Once again, I apologize (I hope I didn't lose any fans from my absence)**

Chapter 18: Stalker Specter!

"You don't look too good."

Bankotsu spoke the truth. After last night, I was tired, and I had the faintest traces of black rings under my eyes. I couldn't get back to sleep, not after that woman had led me to Savior Higure's grave. I kept on picking at a dumpling, but it kept on falling out of the convulsing chopsticks. I tossed them down in frustration, Saruwatari scrambling onto my head. My fingers intertwined with my brown hair as I whimpered softly to myself. Prentiss patted my back, and I sprang up and glared at her.

"What'd you hit me for?" I asked accusingly.

"I did not hit you, Masato." I growled, letting my head hit the table. "What is wrong with you?"

"I'm sorry. I had a rough night."

"Sorry to distress you." I turned slowly and saw the same woman from last night. I could have died.

"AAAAHHH! STALKER SPECTER!" I yelled, springing up from my seat and knocking over my food.

The woman laughed and floated upwards, sitting on the ceiling instead of the ground. I glared at her, my teeth gritting together in my mouth.

"Why are you here? Wh-what do you want with me?!"

"You _are_ helping me…right?"

I pondered. I did agree to help last night, but over that period of time, I had rethought things. Maybe, perhaps, I was being a bit too trusting of this specter that had just popped out of nowhere. However, she _did_ know about Savior Higure, which made me trust her. Still, she had no reason to_ stalk_ me. I sighed, hitting my forehead repeatedly with the palm of my hands. It was hot outside; maybe it was a mirage.

"No, I am not a mirage. Stop trying to give yourself a concussion."

I growled, wanting to tackled the woman and give _her_ the concussion! Still, Bankotsu and the others looked at me like I was a madwoman. Why could I only see her? Being different was so…frustrating! Father said as soon as I was born, he knew I was going to be a different kind of girl. He was, unfortunately, right. What _normal_ girl travels with mercenaries, talks to a monkey, has a little girl that can hold half of the Imperial Army in her jar, and can talk to a ghost?! I sighed, grabbing Saru and walking towards the door. The woman followed behind me. I turned and pointed a stiff finger angrily at her.

"DON'T follow me!" I yelled. Then I ran out of the door with a frustrated cry.

…

"Hey, Masato, you alright out here?"

It was just my luck that Bankotsu had started looking for me. More of my luck that it had started raining. I was under a large leaf, just waiting for the leaf to get full and dump about two pounds of rain water on my already soaked head. Bankotsu called my name again, but I didn't answer. I just wanted to disappear. What was the use of traveling with Bankotsu and the others if they didn't understand what I was going through? I hugged my knees to my chest, trying to shrink. The woman was sitting right next to me, watching me get wetter and wetter and sadder and sadder. She patted my back, and she didn't go through me. It was like she was real to me, and I hated it. I turned away from her, hiding my face.

"Are you mad at me?" She asked.

"Is it that obvious?" I retorted, glaring at her. "I said I would help you. That doesn't mean you have to hang around me all the time."

"I'm just looking after you." She said, turning away from me. "Oh, by the way, can you find me a new body, too?"

"Why not just take mine?" I asked, curiosity filling my voice.

"I would, but you're taken." The woman tapped my forehead.

"What's your name, anyway?"

"…Just call me Sao." She said, smiling.

"Okay…"

"Ah, there you are, Masato!" Bankotsu said, peeking behind the tree I was hiding behind.

That was when the leaf decided to let a fountain of water let loose on my head. Bankotsu laughed, in his hysterics falling into the mud. Could this day get any worse?


	20. Remembering Saruwatari Bloopers

-Remembering Saruwatari-

-Remembering Saruwatari-

**Since I'm stuck for ideas on the actual plot, I've decided to make blooper scenes. This is in no way directed to the story; as such it'll be a funny break from all the tension in the actual story line. I hope you enjoy **

Blooper Scenes Volume #1

Bloopers in Ch 1

Masato: Father, what am I to them? I'm a simple girl with a p-- -starts laughing-

Bankotsu: What?

Masato: I-I can't say it, it's funny!

Bankotsu: Just say pet monkey!

Masato: -laughs louder- Ah, cut, cut.

Me: Oh, come on! Come on, people, monkey isn't a funny word!

Masato: -laughs- I'm sorry!

Bankotsu: -laughs- Masato, you are such a clown.

--

Bloopers in Ch 4

Bankotsu: What a dark sense of humor, Masato.

Masato: Yeah yeah, dark humor, monkey talk, blah—Pft! -starts laughing-

Me: What, laughing at monkey talk now?

Masato: No! …Yes! -laughs again-

Me: Ugh, get Masato some chill pills.

Jakotsu: You weren't supposed to eat those?

Me: Aw, dammit!

Bankotsu: -starts laughing-

Me: aw, not you too!

Scene #2

--

Saruwatari: -falls from the ceiling and hits the candle stand making it hit Bankotsu in the back of the head-

Masato: Ouch! Bankotsu, you got owned!

Me: Cut! Bankotsu, you okay?

Bankotsu: My head flesh…

Renkotsu: What happened; let me see!

Masato: He got owned by Saruwatari!

Renkotsu: Get out! -runs downstairs and starts laughing- this is priceless!

Me: Ugh, places! Saruwatari, make sure not to jump on the candle stand again.

Saruwatari: -Screeches and flings poop at the back of Bankotsu's head-

Me: ugh, places, everyone! Saruwatari; bad monkey! Wash your hands!

Bloopers in Ch 6

--

Masato: Jakotsu, kill the blonde, quickly!

Jakotsu: what do you have against blondes?

Masato: Wha?

Bankotsu: Yeah; blondes are sexy!

Masato: Not the point…

Me: Hey hey hey, stick to the script!

Bankotsu: She wants to kill the blonde but blondes are sexy…

Me: So what?

Masato: Exactly…

Renkotsu: I like blondes.

Suikotsu: Yeah, what the hell's wrong with blondes?

Me: NOTHING, ugh—cut!

Bloopers from Ch 8

--

Bankotsu: Who's that curvy fox on the futon?

Masato: Um… -looks around the room-

Jakotsu: He's talking about you, you know.

Masato: really?

Me: Ugh, YES, you're his love interest in the story!

Bankotsu: I so don't feel comfortable about this; Masato and I are, like, just friends behind the set.

Me: It doesn't really matter when you're ON the set!

Bankotsu: …can Renkotsu do it? -Insert my aggravated groan here- because I think he's been eyeing Masato for a while…

Masato: No, he's old and bald!

Renkotsu: I'm not old and I'm not bald!

Me: Cut. Just CUT. Alright, let's go over this again…

Bloopers in Ch 17

--

Masato: Get off my body!

Sao: -starts laughing-

Me: what now?!

Sao: That sounded so sexual.

Masato: Because you're a pervert, Sao!

Bankotsu: -comes from behind the scenes- I heard the word sexual in here.

Suikotsu/Renkotsu: Yeah, what's going on?

Sao: -still laughing-

Masato: Ulqui-chan, Sao is being perverted and suggesting GL!

Me: Sao, stop being a GL pervert!

Sao: Okay, I'm sorry.

Bankotsu: You screwed with a guy, right?

Sao: I was pregnant when I died, wasn't I? (--SPOILER ALERT--)

Masato: Hello, am I missing something?

Bankotsu: Yes you are!

Sao: Okay, I'm done. -Walks off set-

Me: Sao, come back here!

Scene #2

--

Sao: I would, but you're taken.

Masato: No, I'm not.

Sao: Yeah-huh. By Banny-kun, right?

Bankotsu: WHOA! Do NOT call me Banny-kun, you GL lover!

Sao: What are you trying to say?

Bankotsu: …Sao, are you a lesbian?

Sao: We didn't make this show to discuss my sexual orientation, you!

Renkotsu: I wanted to!

Masato: Shut up, Renkotsu, you don't matter.

Renkotsu: Your mom doesn't matter!

Masato: You bastard!

Jakotsu: hey, let's stay calm on the set…

Bankotsu: Sao, have you ever been attracted to men?

Sao: I got knocked up, didn't I? (--SPOILER ALERT!--)

Bankotsu: True, but that doesn't mean you like men. It probably means that getting knocked up was the product of a drunken one night stand with an old fat man named Chub.

Sao: -walks off set quickly-

Bankotsu: Oh, did I strike a nerve?

Masato: Bankotsu, you're mean!

Jakotsu: I really do think that—waaaaahhhh! -runs off set-

Sao: Oh Bankotsu...

Bankotsu: Wait up, Jakotsu!

Sao: COME BACK HERE! –swings axe-

Masato/Me: Cut.


End file.
